L 


1LSON- STEPHENS 


THE  CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON 


Works  of 

ROBERT  NEILSON  STEPHENS 


An  Enemy  to  the  King 

(Twenty-ninth  Thousand) 

The  Continental  Dragoon 

(Seventeenth  Thousand) 

The  Road  to  Paris 

(Sixteenth  Thousand) 

A  Gentleman  Player 

(Thirty-fifth  Thousand) 

Philip  Winwood 

(Sixtieth  Thousand) 


L.  C.  PAGE  AND   COMPANY,  Publishers 

(Incorporated) 
200  Summer  St.,  Boston,  Mass. 


"'TAKE   THAT    REBEL   ALIVE!'    ORDERED    GOLDEN. 


No.  8.    jHeur  fre  3Lig  iLt&rarg 
THE 

CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON 


3Lobe  &torg  of  ^fjilipse  Jfianor 
m  1778 


BY 

ROBERT   NEILSON   STEPHENS 

AUTHOR   OF   "PHILIP   WINWOOD,"   "AN    ENEMY  TO 

THE   KING,"  "  A   GENTLEMAN    PLAYER," 

"THE    ROAD  TO   PARIS,"   ETC. 

Cllustratrt  fig 
H.   C.    EDWARDS 

"  Love's  born  of  a  glance,  I  say." 


BOSTON 

L.  C.  PAGE  &   COMPANY 
1901 


Copyright,  1898 
BY  L.  C.  PAGE  AND  COMPANY 

(INCORPORATED) 


Entered  at  Stationer's  Hall,  London 


SEVENTEENTH   THOUSAND 


Colonial 

Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  C.  H.  Simonds  &  Co. 
Boston,  U.  S.  A. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PACK 

I.     THE  RIDERS n 

II.     THE  MANOR-HOUSE 32 

III.  THE  SOUND  OF  GALLOPING   ....  50 

IV.  THE  CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON        ...  65 

V.     THE  BLACK  HORSE 87 

VI.    THE  ONE  CHANCE 116 

VII.  THE  FLIGHT  OF  THE  MINUTES      .        .        .  140 

VIII.    THE  SECRET  PASSAGE 156 

IX.    THE  CONFESSION 180 

X.  THE  PLAN  OF  RETALIATION  .        .        .        .197 

XI.     THE  CONQUEST 214 

XII.     THE  CHALLENGE 236 

XIII.  THE  UNEXPECTED 252 

XIV.  THE  BROKEN  SWORD 267 


2054 827 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


" '  TAKE  THAT  REBEL  ALIVE  ! '  ORDERED 

GOLDEN  " Frontispiece 

"  *  GIVE  IT  TO  THE  COLONEL  ' "  .    .   .    .    .82 
"  LEANED  FORWARD  ON  THE  HORSE'S  NECK  "  .    .  1 1 1 

•'  '  YOU  ARE  TOO  LATE,  JACK  !  '" I  54 

"'Go,  I  SAY!'" 196 

"'I    TAKE    MY    LEAVE    OF   THIS    HOUSE!'"       .  .  .      248 


THE 

CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 


CHAPTER   I. 

THE    RIDERS. 

"  I  DARE  say  'tis  a  wild,  foolish,  dangerous  thing ; 
but  I  do  it,  nevertheless !  As  for  my  reasons,  they 
are  the  strongest.  First,  I  wish  to  do  it.  Second, 
you've  all  opposed  my  doing  it.  So  there's  an  end 
of  the  matter  !  " 

It  was,  of  course,  a  woman  that  spoke,  —  moreover, 
a  young  one. 

And  she  added : 

"  Drat  the  wind  !  Can't  we  ride  faster  ?  'Twill 
be  dark  before  we  reach  the  manor-house.  Get 
along,  Cato ! " 

She  was  one  of  three  on  horseback,  who  went 
northward  on  the  Albany  post-road  late  in  the  after- 
noon of  a  gray,  chill,  blowy  day  in  November,  in  the 
war-scourged  year  1778.  Beside  the  girl  rode  a 

ii 


12  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

young  gentleman,  wrapped  in  a  dark  cloak.  The 
third  horse,  which  plodded  a  short  distance  in  the 
rear,  carried  a  small  negro  youth  and  two  large  port- 
manteaus. The  three  riders  made  a  group  that  was, 
as  far  as  could  be  seen  from  their  view-point,  alone 
on  the  highway. 

There  were  reasons  why  such  a  group,  on  that 
road  at  that  time,  was  an  unusual  sight,  —  reasons 
familiar  to  any  one  who  is  well  informed  in  the 
history  of  the  Revolution.  Unfortunately,  most 
good  Americans  are  better  acquainted  with  the 
French  Revolution  than  with  our  own,  know  more 
about  the  state  of  affairs  in  Rome  during  the  reign 
of  Nero  than  about  the  condition  of  things  in  New 
York  City  during  the  British  occupation,  and  com- 
pensate for  their  knowledge  of  Scotch-English  border 
warfare  in  remote  times  by  their  ignorance  of  the 
border  warfare  that  ravaged  the  vicinity  of  the  island 
of  Manhattan,  for  six  years,  little  more  than  a  cen- 
tury ago. 

Our  Revolutionary  War  had  reached  the  respect- 
able age  of  three  and  a  half  years.  Lexington, 
Bunker  Hill,  Brooklyn,  Harlem  Heights,  White 
Plains,  Trenton,  Princeton,  the  Brandywine,  German- 
town,  Bennington,  Saratoga,  and  Monmouth  —  not 
to  mention  events  in  the  South  and  in  Canada  and 
on  the  water  —  had  taken  their  place  in  history. 
The  army  of  the  King  of  England  had  successively 


THE  RIDERS.  13 

occupied  Boston,  New  York,  and  Philadelphia;  had 
been  driven  out  of  Boston  by  siege,  and  had  left 
Philadelphia  to  return  to  the  town  more  pivotal  and 
nearer  the  sea,  —  New  York.  One  British  commander- 
in-chief  had  been  recalled  by  the  British  ministry  to 
explain  why  he  had  not  crushed  the  rebellion,  and 
one  British  major-general  had  surrendered  an  army, 
and  was  now  back  in  England  defending  his  course 
and  pleading  in  Parliament  the  cause  of  the  Ameri- 
cans, to  whom  he  was  still  a  prisoner  on  parole. 
Our  Continental  army — called  Continental  because, 
like  the  general  Congress,  it  served  the  whole  union 
of  British-settled  Colonies  or  States  on  this  continent, 
and  was  thus  distinguished  from  the  militia,  which 
served  in  each  case  its  particular  Colony  or  State 
only  —  had  experienced  both  defeats  and  victories  in 
encounters  with  the  King's  troops  and  his  allies,  Ger- 
man, Hessian,  and  American  Tory.  It  had  endured 
the  winter  at  Valley  Forge  while  the  British  had 
fed,  drunk,  gambled,  danced,  flirted,  and  wenched  in 
Philadelphia.  The  French  alliance  had  been  sanc- 
tioned. Steuben,  Lafayette,  DeKalb,  Pulaski,  Kos- 
ciusko,  Armand,  and  other  Europeans,  had  taken 
service  with  us.  One  plot  had  been  made  in  Con- 
gress and  the  army  to  supplant  Washington  in  the 
chief  command,  and  had  failed.  The  treason  of 
General  Charles  Lee  had  come  to  naught,  —  but  was 
to  wait  for  disclosure  till  many  years  after  every  per- 


14  THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

son  concerned  should  be  graveyard  dii$t.  We  had 
celebrated  two  anniversaries  of  the  Fourth  of  July. 
The  new  free  and  independent  States  had  organized 
local  governments.  The  King's  appointees  still  made 
a  pretence  of  maintaining  the  royal  provincial  govern- 
ments, but  mostly  abode  under  the  protection  of  the 
King's  troops  in  New  York.  There  also  many  of 
those  Americans  in  the  North  took  refuge  who  dis- 
tinctly professed  loyalty  to  the  King.  New  York 
was  thus  the  chief  lodging-place  of  all  that  embodied 
British  sovereignty  in  America.  Naturally  the  mate- 
rial tokens  of  British  rule  radiated  from  the  town, 
covering  all  of  the  island  of  Manhattan,  most  of 
Long  Island,  and  all  of  Staten  Island,  and  retaining 
a  clutch  here  and  there  on  the  mainland  of  New 
Jersey. 

It  was  the  present  object  of  Washington  to  keep 
those  visible  signs  of  English  authority  penned  up 
within  this  circle  around  New  York.  The  Conti- 
nental posts,  therefore,  formed  a  vast  arc,  extending 
from  the  interior  of  New  Jersey  through  Southeast- 
ern New  York  State  to  Long  Island  Sound  and  into 
Connecticut.  This  had  been  the  situation  since  mid- 
summer of  1 778.  It  was  but  a  detachment  from  our 
main  army  that  had  cooperated  with  the  French  fleet 
in  the  futile  attempt  to  dislodge  a  British  force  from 
Newport  in  August  of  that  year. 

The  British  commander-in-chief  and  most  of  the 


THE   RIDERS.  I  5 

superior  officers  had  their  quarters  in  the  best  resi- 
dences of  New  York.  That  town  was  packed  snugly 
into  the  southern  angle  of  the  island  of  Manhattan, 
like  a  gift  in  the  toe  of  a  Christmas  stocking.  South- 
ward, some  of  its  finest  houses  looked  across  the 
Battery  to  the  bay.  Northward  the  town  extended 
little  beyond  the  common  fields,  of  which  the  City 
Hall  Square  of  1898  is  a  reduced  survival.  The 
island  of  Manhattan  —  with  its  hills,  woods,  swamps, 
ponds,  brooks,  roads,  farms,  sightly  estates,  gardens, 
and  orchards  —  was  dotted  with  the  cantonments 
and  garrisoned  forts  of  the  British.  The  outposts 
were,  largely,  entrusted  to  bodies  of  Tory  allies 
organized  in  this  country.  Thus  was  much  of  Long 
Island  guarded  by  the  three  Loyalist  battalions  of 
General  Oliver  De  Lancey,  himself  a  native  of  New 
York.  On  Staten  Island  was  quartered  General 
Van  Cortlandt  Skinner's  brigade  of  New  Jersey  Vol- 
unteers, a  troop  which  seems  to  have  had  such  diffi- 
culty in  finding  officers  in  its  own  State  that  it  had 
to  go  to  New  York  for  many  of  them, — or  was  it 
that  so  many  more  rich  New  York  Loyalists  had  to 
be  provided  with  commissions  than  the  New  York 
Loyalist  brigades  required  as  officers  ? 

But  the  most  important  British  posts  were  those 
which  guarded  the  northern  entrance  to  the  island 
of  Manhattan,  where  it  was  separated  from  the  main- 
land by  Spuyten  Duyvel  Kill,  flowing  westward  into 


1 6  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

the  Hudson,  and  the  Harlem,  flowing  southward  into 
the  East  River.  King's  Bridge  and  the  Farmers' 
Bridge,  not  far  apart,  joined  the  island  to  the  main ; 
and  just  before  the  Revolution  a  traveller  might  have 
made  his  choice  of  these  two  bridges,  whether  he 
wished  to  take  the  Boston  road  or  the  road  to  Al- 
bany. In  1778  the  British  "barrier"  was  King's 
Bridge,  the  northern  one  of  the  two,  the  watch-house 
being  the  tavern  at  the  mainland  end  of  the  bridge. 
Not  only  the  bridge,  but  the  Hudson,  the  Spuyten 
Duyvel,  and  the  Harlem,  as  well,  were  commanded 
by  British  forts  on  the  island  of  Manhattan.  Yet 
there  were  defences  still  further  out.  On  the  main- 
land was  a  line  of  forts  extending  from  the  Hudson, 
first  eastward,  then  southward,  to  the  East  River. 
Further  north,  between  the  Albany  road  and  the 
Hudson,  was  a  camp  of  German  and  Hessian  allies, 
foot  and  horse.  Northeast,  on  Valentine's  Hill, 
were  the  Seventy-first  Highlanders.  Near  the 
mainland  bank  of  the  Harlem  were  the  quarters  of 
various  troops  of  dragoons,  most  of  them  American 
Tory  corps  with  English  commanders,  but  one,  at 
least,  native  to  the  soil,  not  only  in  rank  and  file,  but 
in  officers  also,  —  and  with  no  less  dash  and  daring 
than  by  Tarleton,  Simcoe,  and  the  rest,  was  King 
George  III.  served  by  Captain  James  De  Lancey, 
of  the  county  of  West  Chester,  with  his  "cowboys," 
officially  known  as  the  West  Chester  Light  Horse. 


THE   RIDERS.  1 7 

Thus  the  outer  northern  lines  of  the  British  were 
just  above  King's  Bridge.  The  principal  camp  of 
the  Americans  was  far  to  the  north.  Each  army 
was  affected  by  conditions  that  called  for  a  wide 
space  of  territory  between  the  two  forces,  between 
the  outer  rim  of  the  British  circle,  and  the  inner  face 
of  the  American  arc.  Of  this  space  the  portion  that 
lay  bounded  on  the  west  by  the  Hudson,  on  the 
southeast  by  Long  Island  Sound,  and  cut  in  two  by 
the  southward-flowing  Bronx,  was  the  most  interest- 
ing. It  was  called  the  Neutral  Ground,  and  neutral 
it  was  in  that  it  had  the  protection  of  neither  side, 
while  it  was  ravaged  by  both.  Foraged  by  the  two 
armies,  under  the  approved  rules  of  war,  it  under- 
went further  a  constant,  irregular  pillage  by  gangs 
of  mounted  rascals  who  claimed  attachment,  some 
to  the  British,  some  to  the  Americans,  but  were  not 
owned  by  either.  It  was,  too,  overridden  by  the 
cavalry  of  both  sides  in  attempts  to  surprise  out- 
posts, cut  off  supplies,  and  otherwise  harass  and 
sting.  Unexpected  forays  by  the  rangers  and  drag- 
oons from  King's  Bridge  and  the  Harlem  were  re- 
ciprocated by  sudden  visitations  of  American  horse 
and  light  infantry  from  the  Greenburg  Hills  and 
thereabove.  The  Whig  militia  of  the  county  also 
took  a  hand  against  British  Tories  and  marauders. 
Of  the  residents,  many  Tories  fled  to  New  York, 
some  Americans  went  to  the  interior  of  the  country, 


1 8  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

but  numbers  of  each  party  held  their  ground,  at  risk 
of  personal  harm  as  well  as  of  robbery.  Many  of 
the  best  houses  were,  at  different  times  during  the 
war,  occupied  as  quarters  by  officers  of  either  side. 
Little  was  raised  on  the  farms  save  what  the  farmers 
could  immediately  use  or  easily  conceal.  The  Hud- 
son was  watched  by  British  war-vessels,  while  the 
Americans  on  their  side  patrolled  it  with  whale-boats, 
long  and  canoe-like,  swift  and  elusive.  For  the 
drama  of  partisan  warfare,  Nature  had  provided,  in 
lower  West  Chester  County,  —  picturesquely  hilly, 
beautifully  wooded,  pleasantly  watered,  bounded  in 
part  by  the  matchless  Hudson  and  the  peerless 
Sound,  —  a  setting  unsurpassed. 

Thus  was  it  that  Miss  Elizabeth  Philipse,  Major 
John  Golden,  and  Miss  Philipse' s  negro  boy,  Cuff, 
all  riding  northward  on  the  Albany  post-road,  a  few 
miles  above  King's  Bridge,  but  still  within  territory 
patrolled  daily  by  the  King's  troops,  constituted,  on 
that  bleak  November  evening  in  1 778,  a  group  unu- 
sual to  the  time  and  place. 

'Twas  a  wettish  wind,  concerning  which  Miss 
Elizabeth  expressed,  in  the  imperative  mood,  her 
will  that  it  be  dratted,  —  a  feminine  wind,  truly,  as 
was  clear  from  its  unexpected  flarings  up  and  sudden 
calmings  down,  its  illogical  whiskings  around  and 
eccentric  changes  of  direction.  Now  it  swept  down 
the  slope  from  the  east,  as  if  it  meant  to  bombard 


THE  RIDERS.  19 

the  travellers  with  all  the  brown  leaves  of  the  hillside. 
Now  it  assailed  them  from  the  north,  as  if  to  impede 
their  journey ;  now  rushed  on  them  from  the  rear  as 
if  it  had  come  up  from  New  York  to  speed  them  on 
their  way  ;  now  attacked  them  in  the  left  flank,  armed 
with  a  raw  chill  from  the  Hudson.  It  blew  Miss 
Elizabeth's  hair  about  and  additionally  reddened  her 
cheeks.  It  caused  the  young  Tory  major  to  frown, 
for  the  protection  of  his  eyes,  and  thus  to  look  more 
and  more  unlike  the  happy  man  that  Miss  Eliza- 
beth's accepted  suitor  ought  to  have  appeared. 

"  I  make  no  doubt  I've  brought  on  me  the  anger 
of  your  whole  family  by  lending  myself  to  this. 
And  yet  I  am  as  much  against  it  as  they  are  ! " 
So  spake  the  major,  in  tones  as  glum  as  his  looks. 

"  'Twas  a  choice,  then,  between  their  anger  and 
mine,"  said  Miss  Elizabeth,  serenely.  "  Don't  think 
I  wouldn't  have  come,  even  if  you  had  refused  your 
escort.  I'd  have  made  the  trip  alone  with  Cuff,  that's 
all." 

"  I  shall  be  blamed,  none  the  less." 

"  Why  ?  You  couldn't  have  hindered  me.  If 
the  excursion  is  as  dangerous  as  they  say  it  is,  your 
company  certainly  does  not  add  to  my  danger.  It 
lessens  it.  So,  as  my  safety  is  what  they  all  clamor 
about,  they  ought  to  commend  you  for  escorting  me." 

"  If  they  were  like  ever  to  take  that  view,  they 
would  not  all  have  refused  you  their  own  company." 


20  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

"They  refused  because  they  neither  supposed 
that  I  would  come  alone  nor  that  Providence  would 
send  me  an  escort  in  the  shape  of  a  surly  major  on 
leave  of  absence  from  Staten  Island !  Come,  Jack, 
you  needn't  tremble  in  dread  of  their  wrath.  By 
this  time  my  amiable  papa  and  my  solicitous 
mamma  and  my  anxious  brothers  and  sisters  are 
in  such  a  state  of  mind  about  me  that,  when  you 
return  to-night  and  report  I've  been  safely  consigned 
to  Aunt  Sally's  care,  they'll  fairly  worship  you  as  a 
messenger  of  good  news.  So  be  as  cheerful  as  the 
wind  and  the  cold  will  let  you.  We  are  almost 
there.  It  seems  an  age  since  we  passed  Van  Cort- 
landt's." 

Major  Golden  merely  sighed  and  looked  more 
dismal,  as  if  knowing  the  futility  of  speech. 

"  There's  the  steeple  ! "  presently  cried  the  girl, 
looking  ahead.  "We'll  be  at  the  parsonage  in  ten 
minutes,  and  safe  in  the  manor-house  in  five  more. 
Do  look  relieved,  Jack!  The  journey's  end  is  in 
sight,  and  we  haven't  had  sight  of  a  soldier  this 
side  of  King's  Bridge, — except  Van  Wrumb's  Hes- 
sians across  Tippett's  Vale,  and  they  are  friends. 
Br-r-r-r!  I'll  have  Williams  make  a  fire  in  every 
room  in  the  manor-house  !  " 

Now  while  these  three  rode  in  seeming  security 
from  the  south  towards  the  church,  parsonage,  coun- 
try tavern,  and  great  manor-house  that  constituted 


THE   RIDERS.  21 

the  village  then  called,  sometimes  Lower  Philips- 
burgh  and  sometimes  Younker's,  that  same  hill- 
varied,  forest-set,  stream-divided  place  was  being 
approached  afar  from  the  north  by  a  company  of 
mounted  troops  riding  as  if  the  devil  was  after 
them.  It  was  not  the  devil,  but  another  body  of 
cavalry,  riding  at  equal  speed,  though  at  a  great 
distance  behind.  The  three  people  from  New  York 
as  yet  neither  saw  nor  heard  anything  of  these 
horsemen  dashing  down  from  the  north.  Yet  the 
major's  spirits  sank  lower  and  lower,  as  if  he  had 
an  omen  of  coming  evil. 

He  was  a  handsome  young  man,  Major  John 
Golden,  being  not  more  than  twenty-seven  years 
old,  and  having  the  clearly  outlined  features  best 
suited  to  that  period  of  smooth-shaven  faces.  His 
dark  eyes  and  his  pensive  expression  were  none  the 
less  effective  for  the  white  powder  on  his  cued  hair. 
A  slightly  petulant,  uneasy  look  rather  added  to  his 
countenance.  He  was  of  medium  height  and  regu- 
lar figure.  He  wore  a  civilian's  cloak  or  outer  coat 
over  the  uniform  of  his  rank  and  corps,  thus  hiding 
also  his  sword  and  pistol.  Other  externals  of  his 
attire  were  riding-boots,  gloves,  and  a  three-cornered 
hat  without  a  military  cockade.  He  was  mounted 
on  a  sorrel  horse  a  little  darker  in  hue  than  the 
animal  ridden  by  Miss  Elizabeth's  black  boy,  Cuff, 
who  wore  the  rich  livery  of  the  Philipses. 


22  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

The  steed  of  Miss  Elizabeth  was  a  slender  black, 
sensitive  and  responsive  to  her  slightest  command  — 
a  fit  mount  for  this,  the  most  imperious,  though  not 
the  oldest,  daughter  of  Colonel  Frederick  Philipse, 
third  lord,  under  the  bygone  royal  regime,  of  the 
manor  of  Philipsburgh  in  the  Province  of  New  York. 
They  gave  classic  names  to  quadrupeds  in  those  days 
and  Addison's  tragedy  was  highly  respected,  so  Eliza- 
beth's scholarly  father  had  christened  this  horse 
Cato.  Howsoever  the  others  who  loved  her  re- 
garded her  present  jaunt,  no  opposition  was  shown 
by  Cato.  Obedient  now  as  ever,  the  animal  bore 
her  zealously  forward,  be  it  to  danger  or  to  what 
she  would. 

Elizabeth's  resolve  to  revisit  the  manor  hall  on  the 
Hudson,  which  had  been  left  closed  up  in  the  stew- 
ard's charge  when  the  family  had  sought  safety  in 
their  New  York  City  residence  in  1777,  had  sprung 
in  part  from  a  powerful  longing  for  the  country  and 
in  part  from  a  dream  which  had  reawakened  strongly 
her  love  for  the  old  house  of  her  birth  and  of  most 
of  her  girlhood.  The  peril  of  her  resolve  only  in- 
creased her  determination  to  carry  it  out.  Her  par- 
ents, brothers,  and  sisters  stood  aghast  at  the  project, 
and  refused  in  any  way  to  countenance  it.  But  there 
was  no  other  will  in  the  Philipse  household  able  to 
cope  with  Elizabeth's.  She  held  that  the  thing  was 
most  practicable  and  simple,  inasmuch  as  the  steward, 


THE   RIDERS.  2$ 

with  the  aid  of  two  servants,  kept  the  deserted  house 
in  a  state  of  habitation,  and  as  her  mother's  sister, 
Miss  Sarah  Williams,  was  living  with  the  widow  Bab- 
cock  in  the  parsonage  of  Lower  Philipsburgh  and  could 
transfer  her  abode  to  the  manor-house  for  the  time 
of  Elizabeth's  stay.  Major  Golden,  an  unloved  lover, 
—  for  Elizabeth,  accepting  marriage  as  one  of  the 
inevitables,  yet  declared  that  she  could  never  love 
any  man,  love  being  admittedly  a  weakness,  and  she 
not  a  weak  person,  —  was  ever  watchful  for  the  op- 
portunity of  ingratiating  himself  with  the  superb  girl, 
and  so  fearful  of  displeasing  her  that  he  dared  not 
refuse  to  ride  with  her.  He  was  less  able  even  than 
her  own  family  to  combat  her  purpose.  One  day 
some  one  had  asked  him  why,  since  she  called  him 
Jack,  and  he  was  on  the  road  to  thirty  years,  while 
she  was  yet  in  her  teens,  he  did  not  call  her  Betty 
or  Bess,  as  all  other  Elizabeths  were  called  in  those 
days.  He  meditated  a  moment,  then  replied,  "I 
never  heard  any  one,  even  in  her  own  family,  call 
her  so.  I  can't  imagine  any  one  ever  calling  her  by 
any  more  familiar  name  than  Elizabeth." 

Now  it  was  not  from  her  father  that  this  regal 
young  creature  could  have  taken  her  resoluteness, 
though  she  may  well  have  got  from  him  some  of  the 
pride  that  went  with  it.  There  certainly  must  have 
been  more  pride  than  determination  in  Frederick 
Philipse,  third  lord  of  the  manor,  colonel  in  provin- 


24  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

cial  militia  before  the  Revolution,  graduate  of  King's 
College,  churchman,  benefactor,  gentleman  of  literary 
tastes ;  amiable,  courtly,  and  so  fat  that  he  and  his 
handsome  wife  could  not  comfortably  ride  in  the  same 
coach  at  the  same  time.  But  there  was  surely  as  much 
determination  as  pride  in  this  gentleman's  great-grand- 
father, Vrederyck  Flypse,  descendant  of  a  line  of 
viscounts  and  keepers  of  the  deer  forests  of  Bohemia, 
Protestant  victim  of  religious  persecution  in  his  own 
land,  immigrant  to  New  Amsterdam  about  1650,  and 
soon  afterward  the  richest  merchant  in  the  province, 
dealer  with  the  Indians,  ship-owner  in  the  East  and 
West  India  trade,  importer  of  slaves,  leader  in  pro- 
vincial politics  and  government,  founder  of  Sleepy 
Hollow  Church,  probably  a  secret  trafficker  with 
Captain  Kidd  and  other  pirates,  and  owner  by  pur- 
chase of  the  territory  that  was  erected  by  royal 
charter  of  William  and  Mary  into  the  lordship  and 
manor  of  Philipsburgh.  The  strength  of  will  prob- 
ably declined,  while  the  pride  throve,  in  transmission 
to  Vrederyck' s  son,  Philip,  who  sowed  wild  oats,  and 
went  to  the  Barbadoes  for  his  health  and  married 
the  daughter  of  the  English  governor  of  that  island. 
Philip's  son,  Frederick,  being  born  in  a  hot  climate, 
and  grandson  of  an  English  governor  as  well  as  of 
the  great  Flypse,  would  naturally  have  had  great 
quantity  of  pride,  whatever  his  stock  of  force,  par- 
ticularly as  he  became  second  lord  of  the  manor  at 


THE  RIDERS.  2$ 

the  lordly  age  of  four.  And  he  could  not  easily  have 
acquired  humility  in  later  life,  as  speaker  of  the  pro- 
vincial Assembly,  Baron  of  the  Exchequer,  judge  of 
the  Supreme  Court,  or  founder  of  St.  John's  Church, 
—  towards  which  graceful  edifice  was  the  daughter  of 
his  son,  the  third  lord,  directing  her  horse  this  wintry 
autumn  evening.  As  for  this  third  lord,  he  had  been 
removed  by  the  new  Government  to  Connecticut  for 
favoring  the  English  rule,  but,  having  received  per- 
mission to  go  to  New  York  for  a  short  time,  had 
evinced  his  fondness  for  the  sweet  and  soft  things  of 
life  by  breaking  his  parole  and  staying  in  the  city, 
under  the  British  protection,  thus  risking  his  vast 
estate  and  showing  himself  a  gentleman  of  anything 
but  the  courage  now  displayed  by  his  daughter. 

Elizabeth,  therefore,  must  have  derived  her  spirit, 
with  a  good  measure  of  pride  and  a  fair  share  (or 
more)  of  vanity,  from  her  mother,  though,  thanks  to 
that  appreciation  of  personal  comfort  which  comes 
with  middle  age,  Madam  Philipse's  high-spiritedness 
would  no  longer  have  displayed  itself  in  dangerous 
excursions,  nor  was  it  longer  equal  to  a  contest 
with  the  fresher  energy  of  Elizabeth.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Charles  Williams,  once  naval  officer  of 
the  port  of  New  York,  and  his  wife,  who  had  been 
Miss  Sarah  Olivier.  Thus  came  Madam  Philipse 
honestly  by  the  description,  "imperious  woman  of 
fashion,"  in  which  local  history  preserves  her  mem- 


26  THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

ory.  She  was  a  widow  of  twenty-four  when  Colonel 
Philipse  married  her,  she  having  been  bereaved  two 
years  before  of  her  first  husband,  Mr.  Anthony  Rut- 
gers, the  lawyer.  She  liked  display,  and  her  husband 
indulged  her  inclination  without  stint,  receiving  in 
repayment  a  good  nursery-full  of  what  used,  in  the 
good  old  days,  to  be  called  pledges  of  affection. 
Being  the  daughter  of  a  royal  office-holding  English- 
man, how  could  she  have  helped  holding  her  head 
mighty  high  on  receiving  her  elevation  to  the  lady- 
ship of  Philipsburgh,  and  who  shall  blame  her  daugh- 
ter and  namesake,  now  within  a  stone's  throw  of  St. 
John's  parsonage  and  in  full  sight  of  the  tree-bowered 
manorial  home  of  her  fathers,  for  holding  hers,  which 
was  younger,  a  trifle  higher  ? 

Not  many  high-held  heads  of  this  or  any  other  day 
are  or  were  finer  than  that  of  Elizabeth  Philipse  was 
in  1 778,  or  are  set  on  more  graceful  figures.  For  all 
her  haughtiness,  she  was  not  a  very  large  person, 
nor  yet  was  she  a  small  one.  She  was  neither  frag- 
ile nor  too  ample.  Her  carriage  made  her  look  taller 
than  she  was.  She  was  of  the  brown-haired,  blue- 
eyed  type,  but  her  eyes. were  not  of  unusual  size  or 
surpassing  lucidity,  being  merely  clear,  hon,est,  steady 
eyes,  capable  rather  of  fearless  or  disdainful  attention 
than  of  swift  flashes  or  coquettish  glances.  The  pre- 
cision with  which  her  features  were  outlined  did  not 
lessen  the  interest  that  her  face  had  from  her  pride, 


THE  RIDERS.  2? 

spirit,  independence,  and  intelligence.  She  was,  more- 
over, an  active,  healthy  creature,  and  if  she  com- 
manded the  dratting  of  the  wind,  it  was  not  as  much 
because  she  was  chilled  by  it  as  because  it  blew  her 
cloak  and  impeded  her  progress.  In  fine,  she  was  a 
beauty ;  else  this  historian  would  never  have  taken 
the  trouble  of  unearthing  from  many  places  and 
piecing  together  the  details  of  this  fateful  incident, 
—  for  if  any  one  supposes  that  the  people  of  this 
narrative  are  mere  fictions,  he  or  she  is  radically  in 
error.  They  lived  and  achieved,  under  the  names 
they  herein  bear ;  were  as  actual  as  the  places  herein 
mentioned, — as  any  of  the  numerous  patriotic  Amer- 
icans who  daily  visit  the  genealogical  shelves  of  the 
public  libraries  can  easily  learn,  if  they  will  spare 
sufficient  time  from  the  laudable  task  of  hunting 
down  their  own  ancestors.  If  this  story  is  called  a 
romance,  that  term  is  used  here  only  as  it  is  oft  ap- 
plied to  actual  occurrences  of  a  romantic  character. 
So  the  Elizabeth  Philipse  who,  before  crossing  the 
Neperan  to  approach  the  manor-house,  stopped  in 
front  of  the  snug  parsonage  at  the  roadside  and 
directed  Cuff  to  knock  at  the  door,  was  as  real  as 
was  then  the  parsonage  itself. 

Presently  a  face  appeared  furtively  at  one  of  the 
up-stairs  windows.  The  eyes  thereof,  having  dwelt 
for  an  instant  on  the  mounted  party  shivering  in  the 
road,  opened  wide  in  amazement,  and  a  minute  later, 


28  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON, 

after  a  sound  of  key-turning  and  bolt-drawing,  the 
door  opened,  and  a  good-looking  lady  appeared  in 
the  doorway,  backed  up  by  a  servant  and  two  pretty 
children  who  clung,  half-curious,  half-frightened,  to 
the  lady's  skirts. 

"  Why,  Miss  Elizabeth  !     Is  it  possible  —  " 

But  Elizabeth  cut  the  speech  of  the  astonished 
lady  short. 

"  Yes,  my  dear  Mrs.  Babcock,  —  and  I  know  how 
dangerous,  and  all  that !  And,  thank  you,  I'll  not 
come  in.  I  shall  see  you  during  the  week.  I'm 
going  to  the  manor-house  to  stay  awhile,  and  I  wish 
my  aunt  to  stay  there  with  me,  if  you  can  spare  her." 

"  Why,  yes,  —  of  course,  —  but  —  here  comes 
your  aunt." 

"  Why,  Elizabeth,  what  in  the  world  —  " 

She  was  a  somewhat  stately  woman  at  first  sight, 
was  Elizabeth's  mother's  sister,  Miss  Sarah  Williams ; 
but  on  acquaintance  soon  conciliated  and  found  to 
be  not  at  all  the  formidable  and  haughty  person  she 
would  have  had  people  believe  her ;  not  too  far  gone 
in  middle  age,  preserving,  despite  her  spinsterhood, 
much  of  her  bloom  and  many  of  those  little  round- 
nesses of  contour  which  adorn  but  do  not  encumber. 

"  I  haven't  time  to  say  what,  aunt,"  broke  in 
Elizabeth.  "I  want  to  get  to  the  manor-house 
before  it  is  night.  You  are  to  stay  with  me  there 
a  week.  So  put  on  a  wrap  and  come  over  as  soon 


THE  RIDERS.  2$ 

as  you  can,  to  be  in  time  for  supper.  I'll  send  a  boy 
for  you,  if  you  like." 

"  Why,  no,  there's  some  one  here  will  walk  over 
with  me,  I  dare  say.  But,  la  me,  Elizabeth,  — 

"Then  I'll  look  for  you  in  five  minutes.  Good 
night,  Mrs.  Babcock  !  I  trust  your  little  ones  are 
well." 

And  she  rode  off,  followed  by  Golden  and  Cuff, 
leaving  the  two  women  in  the  parsonage  doorway  to 
exchange  what  conjectures  and  what  ejaculations  of 
wonderment  the  circumstances  might  require. 

Night  was  falling  when  the  riders  crossed  the 
Neperan  (then  commonly  known  as  the  Saw  Mill 
River)  by  the  post-road  bridge,  and  gazed  more 
closely  on  the  stone  manor-house.  Looking  west- 
ward, from  the  main  road,  across  the  hedge  and 
paling  fence,  they  saw,  first  the  vast  lawn  with  its 
comely  trees,  then  the  long  east  front  of  the  house, 
with  its  two  little  entrance-porches,  the  row  of 
windows  in  each  of  its  two  stories,  the  dormer  win- 
dows projecting  from  the  sloping  roof,  the  balus- 
traded  walk  on  the  roof-top ;  at  both  ends  the 
green  and  brown  and  yellow  hints  of  what  lay  north 
of  the  house,  between  it  and  the  forest,  and  west  of 
the  house,  between  it  and  the  Hudson,  —  the  box- 
hedged  gardens,  the  terraces  breaking  the  slope  to 
the  river,  the  deer  paddock  enclosed  by  high  pickets, 
the  great  orchard.  The  Hudson  was  nearer  to  the 


3O  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

house  then  than  now,  and  its  lofty  further  bank, 
rich  with  growth  of  wood  and  leaf,  was  the  backing 
for  the  westward  view.  To  the  east,  which  the 
riders  put  behind  them  in  facing  the  manor-house, 
were  the  hills  of  the  interior. 

"Not  a  sign  of  light  from  the  house,  and  the 
shutters  all  closed,  as  if  it  were  a  tomb !  It  looks 
as  cold  and  empty  as  one.  I'll  soon  make  it  warm 
and  live  enough  inside  at  least !  "  said  Elizabeth,  and 
turned  westward  from  the  highway  into  the  short 
road  that  ran  between  the  mansion  and  the  north 
bank  of  the  Neperan,  by  the  grist-mill  and  the  gate 
and  the  stables,  down  a  picturesque  descent  to  a 
landing  where  that  stream  entered  the  Hudson. 

She  proceeded  towards  the  gate,  where,  being  near 
the  southeast  corner  of  the  house,  one  could  see 
that  the  south  front  was  to  the  east  front  as  the 
base  to  the  upright  of  a  capital  L  turned  backward ; 
that  the  south  front  resembled  the  east  in  all  but 
in  being  shorter  and  having  a  single  porched  en- 
trance, which  was  in  its  middle. 

As  the  party  neared  the  gate,  there  arose  far 
northward  a  sound  of  many  horsemen  approaching 
at  a  fast  gallop.  Elizabeth  at  once  reined  in,  to 
listen.  Major  Golden  and  Cuff  followed  her  ex- 
ample, both  looking  at  her  in  apprehension.  The 
galloping  was  on  the  Albany  road,  but  presently 
deviated  eastwardly,  then  decreased. 


THE  RIDERS.  31 

"They've  turned  up  the  road  to  Mile  Square, 
whoever  they  are,"  said  Elizabeth,  and  led  the  way 
on  to  the  gate,  which  Cuff,  dismounting,  quickly 
opened,  its  fastening  having  been  removed  and  not 
replaced.  "  Lead  your  horse  to  the  door,  Cuff. 
Then  take  off  the  portmanteaus  and  knock,  and 
tie  the  horses  to  the  post." 

She  rode  up  to  the  southern  door  in  the  east 
front,  and  was  there  assisted  to  dismount  by  the 
major,  while  Cuff  followed  in  obedience.  Colden, 
as  the  sound  of  the  distant  galloping  grew  fainter 
and  fainter,  showed  more  relief  than  he  might  have 
felt  had  he  known  that  a  second  troop  was  soon  to 
come  speeding  down  in  the  track  of  the  first. 

Elizabeth,  in  haste  to  escape  the  wind,  stepped 
into  the  little  porch  and  stood  impatiently  before  the 
dark,  closed  door  of  the  house  of  her  fathers. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE    MANOR-HOUSE. 

THE  stone  mansion  before  which  the  travellers 
stood,  awaiting  answer  to  Cuff's  loud  knock  on  the 
heavy  mahogany  door,  had  already  acquired  antiq- 
uity and  memories.  It  was  then,  as  to  all  south 
of  the  porch  which  now  sheltered  the  three  visitors, 
ninety-six  years  old,  and  as  to  the  rest  of  the  eastern 
front  thirty-three,  so  that  its  newest  part  was  twice 
the  age  of  Elizabeth  herself. 

Her  grandfather's  grandfather,  the  first  lord  of 
the  manor,  built  the  southern  portion  in  1682,  a 
date  not  far  from  that  of  the  erection  of  his  upper 
house,  called  Philipse  Castle,  at  what  is  now  Tarry- 
town, —  but  whether  earlier  or  later,  let  the  local 
historians  dispute.  This  southern  portion  comprised 
the  entire  south  front,  its  length  running  east  and 
west,  its  width  going  back  northward  to,  but  not 
including,  the  large  east  entrance-hall,  into  which 
opened  the  southern  door  of  the  east  front.  The 
new  part,  attached  to  the  original  house  as  the 
upright  to  the  short,  broad  base  of  the  reversed  L, 
was  added  by  Elizabeth's  grandfather,  the  second 

32 


THE  MANOR-HOUSE.  33 

lord,  in  1745.  The  addition,  with  the  eastern  sec- 
tion of  the  old  part,  was  thereafter  the  most  used 
portion,  and  the  south  front  yielded  in  importance 
to  the  new  east  front.  The  two  porched  doors  in 
the  latter  front  matched  each  other,  though  the 
southern  one  gave  entrance  to  the  fine  guests  in  silk 
and  lace,  ruffles  and  furbelows,  who  came  up  from 
New  York  and  the  other  great  mansions  of  the 
county  to  grace  the  frequent  festivities  of  the  Phil- 
ipses ;  while  the  northern  one  led  to  the  spacious 
kitchen  where  means  were  used  to  make  the  afore- 
said guests  feel  that  they  had  not  arrived  in  vain. 
The  original  house,  rectangular  as  to  its  main 
part,  had  two  gables,  and,  against  its  rear  or 
northern  length,  a  pent-roofed ,  wing,  and  probably  a 
veranda,  the  last  covering  the  space  later  taken  by 
the  east  entrance-hall.  The  main  original  building, 
on  its  first  floor,  had  (and  has)  a  wide  entrance-hall 
in  its  middle,  with  one  large  parlor  on  each  side. 
The  second  floor,  reached  by  staircase  from  the 
lower  hall,  duplicated  the  first,  there  being  a  middle 
hall  and  two  great  square  chambers.  Overhead, 
there  was  plentiful  further  room  beneath  the  gable 
roof.  Under  the  western  room  of  the  first  floor  was 
the  earlier  kitchen,  which,  before  1745,  served  in 
relation  to  the  guests  who  entered  by  the  southern 
door  exactly  as  thereafter  the  new  kitchen  served  in 
relation  to  those  entering  by  the  eastern  door,  — 


34  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

making  them  glad  they  had  come,  by  horse  or  coach, 
over  the  long,  bad,  forest-bordered  roads.  Adjacent 
to  the  old  kitchen  was  abundant  cellarage  for  the 
stowing  of  many  and  diverse  covetable  things  of 
the  trading  first  lord's  importation. 

The  Neperan  joined  the  Hudson  in  the  midst 
of  wilderness,  where  Indians  and  deer  abounded, 
when  Vrederyck  Flypse  caused  the  old  part  of  the 
stone  mansion  to  grow  out  of  the  green  hill  slope  in 
1682.  He  planted  a  foundation  two  feet  thick  and 
thereupon  raised  walls  whose  thickness  was  twenty 
inches.  He  would  have  a  residence  wherein  he 
might  defy  alike  the  savage  elements,  men  and 
beasts.  For  the  front  end  of  his  entrance-hall  he 
imported  a  massive  mahogany  door  made  in  1681  in 
Holland,  —  a  door  in  two  parts,  so  that  the  upper  half 
could  be  opened,  while  the  lower  half  remained  shut. 
The  rear  door  of  that  hall  was  similarly  made.  Pon- 
derous were  the  hinges  and  bolts,  being  ordinary 
blacksmith  work.  Solid  were  the  panel  mould- 
ings. He  brought  Holland  brick  wherewith  to 
trim  the  openings  of  doorways  and  windows.  He 
laid  the  floor  of  his  aforesaid  kitchen  with  blue 
stone.  The  chimney  breasts  and  hearthstones  of 
his  principal  rooms  were  seven  feet  wide. 

Here,  in  feudal  fashion,  with  many  servants  and 
slaves  to  do  his  bidding,  and  tenants  to  render  him 
dues,  sometimes  dwelt  Vrederyck  Flypse,  with  his 


THE  MANOR-HOUSE.  35 

second  wife,  Catherine  Van  Cortlandt,  and  the  chil- 
dren left  by  his  first  wife,  Margaret  Hardenbrock ; 
but  sometimes  some  of  the  family  lived  in  New  York, 
and  sometimes  at  the  upper  stone  house,  "  Castle 
Philipse,"  by  the  Pocantico,  near  Sleepy  Hollow 
Church,  of  this  Flypse's  founding.  He  built  mills 
near  both  his  country-houses,  and  from  the  saw-mill 
near  the  lower  one  did  the  Neperan  receive  the  name 
of  Saw  Mill  River.  He  died  in  1702,  in  his  seventy- 
seventh  year,  and  the  bones  of  him  lie  in  Sleepy  Hol- 
low Church. 

But  even  before  the  first  lord  went,  did  "associa- 
tions "  begin  to  attach  to  the  old  Dutch  part  of  the 
mansion.  Besides  the  leading  families  of  the  prov- 
ince, the  traders,  —  Dutch  and  English,  —  and  the 
men  with  whom  he  held  counsel  upon  affairs  tem- 
poral and  spiritual,  public  and  private,  terrestrial  and 
marine,  he  had  for  guests  red  Indians,  and,  there 
is  every  reason  to  believe,  gentlemen  who  sailed  the 
seas  under  what  particular  flag  best  promoted  their 
immediate  purposes,  or  under  none  at  all.  That  old 
s';ory  never  would  down,  to  the  effect  that  the  adven- 
turous Kidd  levied  not  on  the  ships  of  Vrederyck 
Flypse.  The  little  landing-place  where  Neperan 
joined  Hudson,  at  which  the  Flypses  stepped  ashore 
when  they  came  up  from  New  York  by  sloop  instead 
of  by  horse,  was  trodden  surely  by  the  feet  of  more 
than  one  eminent  oceanic  exponent  of  — 


36  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

"  The  good  old  rule,  the  simple  plan, 

That  they  should  take  who  have  the  power 
And  they  should  keep  who  can." 

A  great  merchant  may  have  more  than  one  way  of 
doing  business,  and  I  would  not  undertake  to  account 
for  every  barrel  and  box  that  was  unladen  at  that  lit- 
tle landing.  Nor  would  I  be  surprised  to  encounter 
sometime,  among  the  ghosts  of  Philipse  Manor  Hall, 
that  of  the  immortal  Kidd  himself,  seated  at  dead  of 
night,  across  the  table  from  the  first  lord  of  the 
manor,  before  a  blazing  log  in  the  seven-foot  fire- 
place, drinking  liquor  too  good  for  the  church-found- 
ing lord  to  have  questioned  whence  it  came ;  and 
leaving  the  next  day  without  an  introduction  to  the 
family. 

This  1682  part  of  the  house,  in  facing  south,  had 
the  Albany  road  at  its  left,  the  Hudson  at  its  right, 
and  at  its  front  the  lane  that  ran  by  the  Neperan, 
from  the  road  to  the  river.  Thus  was  the  house  for 
sixty-three  years.  When  the  first  lord's  grandson, 
Elizabeth's  grandfather,  in  1745  made  the  addition 
at  the  north,  what  was  the  east  gable-end  of  the 
old  house  became  part  of  the  east  front  of  the  com- 
pleted mansion.  The  east  rooms  of  the  old  house 
were  thus  the  southeast  rooms  of  the  completed 
mansion,  and,  being  common  to  both  fronts,  gained 
by  the  change  of  relation,  becoming  the  principal 
parlor  and  the  principal  chamber.  The  east  parlor, 


THE  MANOR-HOUSE.  37 

entered  on  the  west  from  the  old  hall,  was  entered 
on  the  north  from  the  new  hall ;  and  the  new 
hall  was  almost  a  duplicate  of  the  old,  but  its 
ceiling  decorations  and  the  mahogany  balustrade  of 
its  stairway  were  the  more  elaborate.  This  stairway, 
like  its  fellow  in  the  old  hall,  ascended,  with  two 
turns,  to  a  hall  in  the  second  story.  Besides  the 
new  halls,  the  addition  included,  on  the  first  floor,  a 
large  dining-room  and  the  great  kitchen ;  on  the 
second  floor,  five  sleeping-chambers,  and,  in  the 
space  beneath  the  roof-tree,  dormitories  for  servants 
and  slaves.  Elizabeth's  grandfather  gave  the  house 
the  balustrade  that  crowns  its  roof  from  its  northern 
to  its  southern,  and  thence  to  its  western  end.  He 
had  the  interior  elaborately  finished.  The  old  part 
and  its  decorations  were  Dutch,  but  now  things  in 
the  province  were  growing  less  Dutch  and  more 
English,  —  like  the  Philipse  name  and  blood  them- 
selves, —  and  so  the  new  embellishments  were  Eng- 
lish. The  second  lord  imported  marble  mantels 
from  England,  had  the  walls  beautifully  wainscoted, 
adorned  the  ceilings  richly  with  arabesque  work  in 
wood.  He  laid  out,  in  the  best  English  fashion,  a 
lawn  between  the  eastern  front  and  the  Albany  post- 
road.  He  it  was  who  married  Joanna,  daughter  of 
Governor  Anthony  Brockholst,  of  a  very  ancient 
family  of  Lancashire,  England ;  and  who  left  provi- 
sion for  the  founding  of  St.  John's  Church,  across 


38  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

the  Neperan  from  the  manor-house,  and  for  the 
endowment  of  the  glebe  thereof.  And  in  his  long 
time  the  manor-house  flourished  and  grew  venerable 
and  multiplied  its  associations.  He  had  five  children  : 
Frederick  (Elizabeth's  father),  Philip,  Susannah,  Mary 
(the  beauty,  wooed  of  Washington  in  1756,  'tis  said, 
and  later  wed  by  Captain  Roger  Morris),  and  Marga- 
ret ;  and,  at  this  manor-house  alone,  white  servants 
thirty,  and  black  servants  twenty;  and  a  numerous 
tenantry,  happy  because  in  many  cases  the  yearly 
rent  was  but  nominal,  being  three  or  four  pounds  or 
a  pair  of  hens  or  a  day's  work,  —  for  the  Philipses, 
thanks  to  trade  and  to  office-holding  under  the  Crown, 
and  to  the  beneficent  rule  whereby  money  multiplies 
itself,  did  not  have  to  squeeze  a  living  out  of  the 
tillers  of  their  land.  The  lord  of  the  manor  held 
court  leet  and  baron  at  the  house  of  a  tenant,  and 
sometimes  even  inflicted  capital  punishment. 

In  1751,  the  second  lord  followed  his  grandfather 
to  the  family  vault  in  Sleepy  Hollow  Church.  With 
the  accession  of  Elizabeth's  father,  then  thirty-one 
years  old,  began  the  splendid  period  of  the  mansion ; 
then  the  panorama  of  which  it  was  both  witness  and 
setting  wore  its  most  diverse  colors.  The  old  con- 
test between  English  and  French  on  this  continent 
was  approaching  its  glorious  climax.  Whether  they 
were  French  emissaries  coming  down  from  Quebec, 
by  the  Hudson  or  by  horse,  or  English  and  colonial 


A  HE  MANOR-HOUSh.  39 

officers  going  up  from  New  York  in  command  of 
troops,  they  must  needs  stop  and  pay  their  respects 
to  the  lord  of  the  manor  of  Philipsburgh,  and  drink 
his  wine,  and  eat  his  venison,  and  flirt  with  his 
stunning  sisters.  Soldiers  would  go  from  New  York 
by  the  post-road  to  Philipsburgh,  and  then  embark 
at  the  little  landing,  to  proceed  up  the  Hudson,  on 
the  way  to  be  scalped  by  the  red  allies  of  the  French 
or  mowed  down  by  Montcalm's  gunners  before  im- 
pregnable Ticonderoga.  Many  were  the  comings 
and  goings  of  the  scarlet  coat  and  green.  The 
Indian,  too,  was  still  sufficiently  plentiful  to  contrib- 
ute much  to  the  environing  picturesqueness.  But, 
most  of  all,  in  those  days,  the  mansion  got  its  char- 
acter from  the  festivities  devised  by  its  own  inmates 
for  the  entertainment  of  the  four  hundred  of  that 
time. 

For  Elizabeth's  mother,  of  the  same  given  name, 
was  "  very  fond  of  display,"  and  in  her  day  the  family 
"lived  showily."  Her  husband  (who  was  usually 
called  Colonel  Philipse,  from  his  title  in  the  militia,  and 
rarely  if  ever  called  lord)  had  the  house  refurnished. 
It  was  he  who  had  the  princely  terraces  made  on  the 
slope  between  the  mansion  and  the  Hudson,  and 
who  had  new  gardens  laid  out  and  adorned  with  tall 
avenues  of  box  and  rarest  fruit-trees  and  shrubs. 
Doubtless  his  deer,  in  their  picketed  enclosure,  were 
a  sore  temptation  to  the  country  marksmen  who 


4O  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

passed  that  way.  Lady,  or  Madam,  or  Mrs.  Philipse, 
the  colonel's  wife,  bedazzled  the  admiring  inhabitants 
of  West  Chester  County  in  many  ways,  but  there  is 
a  difference  between  authorities  as  to  whether  it  was 
she  that  used  to  drive  four  superb  black  horses  over 
the  bad  roads  of  the  county,  or  whether  it  was  her 
mother-in-law,  the  second  lord's  wife.  Certainly  it 
was  the  latter  that  was  killed  by  a  fall  from  a  car- 
riage, and  certainly  both  had  fine  horses  and  mag- 
nificent coaches,  and  drove  over  bad  roads,  —  for  all 
roads  were  bad  in  those  days,  even  in  Europe,  save 
those  the  Romans  left. 

Of  all  the  gay  and  hospitable  occasions  that  brought, 
through  the  mansion's  wide  doors,  courtly  gentlemen 
and  high-and-mighty  ladies,  from  their  coaches,  sleighs, 
horses,  or  Hudson  sloops,  perhaps  none  saw  more  feast- 
ing and  richer  display  of  ruffles  and  brocade  than  did 
the  wedding  of  Mary  Philipse  and  Captain  Morris, 
seven  years  after  the  death  of  her  father,  and  two  after 
the  marriage  of  her  brother.  It  was  on  the  afternoon 
of  Sunday,  Jan.  15,  1758.  In  the  famous  east  parlor, 
which  has  had  much  mention  and  will  have  more  in 
course  of  this  narrative,  was  raised  a  crimson  canopy 
emblazoned  with  the  Philipse  crest,  —  a  crowned 
golden  demi-lion  rampant,  upon  a  golden  coronet. 
Though  the  weather  was  not  severe,  there  was  snow 
on  the  ground,  and  the  guests  began  to  drive  up  in 
sleighs,  under  the  white  trees,  at  two  o'clock.  At 


THE  MANOR-HOUSE.  4! 

three  arrived  the  Rev.  Henry  Barclay,  rector  of 
Trinity,  New  York,  and  his  assistant,  Mr.  Auchmuty. 
At  half-past  three  the  beauteous  Mary  (did  so  proud 
a  heart-breaker  blush,  I  wonder  ?)  and  the  British 
captain  stood  under  the  crimson  canopy  and  gold, 
and  were  united,  "  in  the  presence  of  a  brilliant 
assembly,"  says  the  old  county  historian.1  Miss  Bar- 
clay, Miss  Van  Cortlandt,  and  Miss  De  Lancey  were 
the  bridesmaids,  and  the  groomsmen  were  Mr.  Heath- 
cote  (of  the  family  of  the  lords  of  the  manor  of 
Scarsdale),  Captain  Kennedy  (of  Number  One,  Broad- 
way), and  Mr.  Watts.  No  need  to  report  here  who 
were  "among  those  present."  The  wedding  did  not 
occur  yesterday,  and  the  guests  will  not  be  offended 
at  the  omission  of  their  names ;  but  one  of  them  was 
Acting  Governor  De  Lancey.  Colonel  Philipse  — 
wearing  the  ancestral  gold  chain  and  jewelled  badge 
of  the  keepers  of  the  deer  forests  of  Bohemia — gave 
the  bride  away,  and  with  her  went  a  good  portion  of 
the  earth's  surface,  and  much  money,  jewelry,  and 
plate. 

After  the  wedding  came  the  feast,  and  the  guests 
—  or  most  of  them  —  stayed  so  late  they  were  not 
sorry  for  the  brilliant  moonlight  of  the  night  that  set 
in  upon  their  feasting.  And  now  the  legend  !  In  the 
midst  of  the  feast,  there  appeared  at  the  door  of  the 
banquet-hall  a  tall  Indian,  with  a  scarlet  blanket 
close  about  him,  and  in  solemn  tones  quoth  he, 


42  THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

"Your  possessions  shall  pass  from  you  when  the 
eagle  shall  despoil  the  lion  of  his  mane."  Thereupon 
he  disappeared,  of  course,  as  suddenly  as  he  had 
come,  and  the  way  in  which  historians  have  treated 
this  legend  shows  how  little  do  historians  apply  to 
their  work  the  experiences  of  their  daily  lives,  — 
such  an  experience,  for  instance,  as  that  of  ignoring 
some  begging  Irishwoman's  request  for  "  a  few  pen- 
nies in  the  Lord's  name,"  and  thereupon  receiving  a 
volley  of  hair-raising  curses  and  baleful  predictions. 
'Tis  easy  to  believe  in  the  Indian  and  the  prophecy 
of  a  passing  of  possessions,  even  though  it  was  ful- 
filled ;  but  the  time-clause  involving  the  eagle  and 
the  lion  was  doubtless  added  after  the  bird  had 
despoiled  the  beast. 

It  was  years  and  years  afterward,  and  when  and 
because  the  eagle  had  decided  to  attempt  the  said 
despoiling,  that  there  was  a  change  of  times  at 
Philipse  Manor  Hall.  Meanwhile  had  young  Fred- 
erick, and  Maria,  and  Elizabeth,  and  their  brothers 
and  sisters  arrived  on  the  scene.  What  could  one 
have  expected  of  the  ease-loving,  beauty-loving,  book- 
loving,  luxury-loving,  garden-loving,  and  wide-girthed 
lord  of  the  manor  —  connected  by  descent,  kinship, 
and  marriage  with  royal  office-holding  —  but  Tory- 
ism ?  In  fact,  nobody  did  expect  else  of  him,  for 
though  he  tried  in  1775  to  conceal  his  sympathy 
with  the  cause  of  the  King,  the  powers  in  revolt 


THE  MANOR-HOUSE.  43 

inferred  it,  and  took  measures  to  deter  him  from 
actively  aiding  the  British  forces.  His  removal  to 
Hartford,  his  return  to  the  manor-house,  —  where  he 
was  for  awhile,  in  the  fall  of  1776,  at  the  time  of 
the  battle  of  White  Plains,  —  his  memorable  business 
trip  to  New  York,  and  his  parole-breaking  continu- 
ance there,  heralded  the  end  of  the  old  regime 
in  Philipse  Manor  Hall.  The  historians  say  that 
at  that  time  of  Colonel  Philipse's  last  stay  at  the 
hall,  Washington  quartered  there  for  awhile,  and 
occupied  the  great  southwestern  chamber.  Doubt- 
less Washington  did  occupy  that  chamber  once 
upon  a  time,  but  his  itinerary  and  other  circum- 
stances are  against  its  having  been  immediately 
before  or  immediately  after  the  battle  of  White 
Plains.  Some  of  the  American  officers  were  there 
about  the  time.  As  for  the  colonel's  family,  it  did 
not  abandon  the  house  until  1777.  With  the  occa- 
sions when,  during  the  first  months  of  Revolution- 
ary activity  in  the  county,  use  was  sought  of  the 
secret  closets  and  the  underground  passage  thought- 
fully provided  by  the  earlier  Philipses  in  days  of  risk 
from  Indians,  fear  of  Frenchmen,  and  dealings  with 
pirates,  this  history  has  naught  to  do. 

In  1777,  then,  the  family  took  a  farewell  view  of 
the  old  house,  and  somewhat  sadly,  more  resentfully, 
wended  by  familiar  landmarks  to  New  York,  —  to 
await  there  a  joyous  day  of  returning,  when  the 


44  THE    CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

King's  regiments  should  have  scattered  the  rebels 
and  hanged  their  leaders.  John  Williams,  steward  of 
the  manor,  was  left  to  take  care  of  the  house  against 
that  day,  with  one  white  housemaid,  who  was  of  kin 
to  him,  and  one  black  slave,  a  man.  The  outside  shut- 
ters of  the  first  story,  the  inside  shutters  above,  were 
fastened  tight ;  the  bolts  of  the  ponderous  mahog- 
any doors  were  strengthened,  the  stables  and  mills 
and  outbuildings  emptied  and  locked.  Much  that 
was  precious  in  the  house  went  with  the  family 
and  horses  and  servants  to  New  York.  Yet  be 
sure  that  proper  means  of  subsistence  for  Williams 
and  his  two  helpers  were  duly  stowed  away,  for  the 
faithful  steward  had  to  himself  the  discharge  of  that 
matter. 

So  wholesale  a  departure  went  with  much  bustle, 
and  it  was  not  till  he  returned  from  seeing  the  nu- 
merous party  off,  and  found  himself  alone  with  the 
maid  and  the  slave  in  the  great  entrance-hall,  which 
a  few  minutes  before  had  been  noisy  with  voices, 
that  Williams  felt  to  the  heart  the  sudden  loneli- 
ness of  the  place.  The  face  of  Molly,  the  maid, 
was  white  and  ready  for  weeping,  and  there  was  a 
gravity  on  the  chocolate  visage  of  black  Sam  that 
gave  the  steward  a  distinctly  tremulous  moment. 
Perhaps  he  recalled  the  prediction  of  the  Indian, 
and  had  a  flash  of  second  sight,  and  perceived  that 
the  third  lord  of  the  manor  was  to  be  the  last. 


THE  MANOR-HOUSE.  45 

Howbeit,  he  cleared  his  throat  and  set  black  Sam 
to  laying  in  fire-wood  as  for  a  siege,  and  Molly  to 
righting  the  disorder  caused  by  the  exodus ;  betook 
himself  cellarward,  and  from  a  hidden  place  drew 
forth  a  bottle  of  an  old  vintage,  and  comforted  his 
solitude.  He  was  a  snug,  honest,  discreet  man  of 
forty,  was  the  steward,  slim  but  powerful,  looking 
his  office,  besides  knowing  and  fulfilling  it. 

But,  as  the  months  passed,  he  became  used  to 
the  solitude,  and  the  routine  of  life  in  the  closed-up, 
memory-haunted  old  house  took  on  a  certain  charm. 
The  living  was  snug  enough  in  what  parts  of  the 
mansion  the  steward  and  his  two  servitors  put  to 
their  own  daily  use.  As  for  the  other  parts,  the 
great  dark  rooms  and  entrance-halls,  we  may  be 
sure  that  when  the  steward  went  the  rounds,  and 
especially  after  a  visit  to  the  wine-cellar,  he  found 
them  not  so  empty,  but  peopled  with  the  vague  and 
shifting  images  of  the  many  beings,  young  and  old, 
who  had  filled  the  house  with  life  in  brighter  days. 
Then,  if  ever,  did  noise  of  creaking  stair  or  sound 
as  of  human  breath,  or,  perchance,  momentary  vision 
of  flitting  face  against  the  dark,  betray  the  present 
ghost  of  some  old-time  habitu6  of  the  mansion. 

When  the  raiding  and  foraging  and  marauding 
began  in  the  county,  the  manor-house  was  not  mo- 
lested. The  partisan  warfare  had  not  yet  reached 
its  magnitude.  After  the  battle  of  White  Plains 


46  THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

in  1776,  the  British  had  retained  New  York  City, 
while  the  main  American  army,  leaving  a  small 
force  above,  had  gone  to  New  Jersey.  Late  in 
1777,  the  British  main  army,  leaving  New  York 
garrisoned,  had  departed  to  contest  with  the  Ameri- 
cans for  Philadelphia.  Not  until  July,  1778,  after 
Monmouth  battle,  did  the  British  main  army  return 
to  New  York,  and  the  American  forces  form  the 
great  arc,  with  their  chief  camp  in  upper  West 
Chester  County.  Then  was  great  increase  of  foray 
and  pillage.  The  manor-house  was  of  course  ex- 
empt from  harm  at  the  hands  of  King's  troops  and 
Tory  raiders,  while  it  was  protected  from  American 
regulars  by  Washington's  policy  against  useless 
destruction,  and  from  the  marauding  "  Skinners " 
by  its  nearness  to  the  British  lines  and  by  the  solid- 
ity of  its  walls,  doors,  and  shutters.  Its  gardens 
suffered,  its  picket  fences  and  gate  fastenings  were 
tampered  with,  its  orchards  prematurely  plucked. 
But  its  trees  were  spared  by  the  British  foragers, 
and  the  house  itself  was  no  longer  in  demand  as 
officers'  quarters,  being  too  near  King's  Bridge  for 
safe  American  occupancy,  but  not  sufficiently  near 
for  British.  Hessians  and  Tories,  though,  patrolled 
the  near-by  roads,  and  sometimes  Continental  troops 
camped  in  the  neighboring  hills.  In  1778,  the 
American  Colonel  Gist,  whose  corps  was  then  at 
the  foot  of  Boar  Hill,  north  of  the  manor-house,  was 


THE  MANOR-HOUSE.  47 

paying  his  court  to  the  handsome  widow  Babcock, 
in  the  parsonage,  when  he  was  surprised  by  a  force 
of  yagers,  rangers,  and  Loyalist  light  horse,  and  got 
away  in  the  nick  of  time.2  The  parsonage,  unlike 
the  manor-house,  was  often  visited  by  officers  on 
their  way  hither  and  thither,  but  I  will  not  say  it 
was  for  this  reason  that  Miss  Sally  Williams,  the 
sister  of  Colonel  Philipse's  wife,  preferred  living  in 
the  parsonage  with  the  Babcocks  rather  than  in  the 
great  deserted  mansion. 

On  a  dark  November  afternoon,  Williams  had 
sent  black  Sam  to  the  orchard  for  some  winter 
apples,  and  the  slave,  after  the  fashion  of  his  race, 
was  taking  his  time  over  the  errand.  The  shades 
of  evening  gathered  while  the  steward  was  making 
his  usual  rounds  within  the  mansion.  Molly,  whose 
housewifely  instincts  ever  asserted  themselves,  had 
of  her  own  accord  made  a  dusting  tour  of  the  rooms 
and  halls.  She  was  on  the  first  landing  of  the  stair- 
way in  the  east  hall,  just  about  to  finish  her  task 
in  the  waning  light  admitted  by  the  window  over  the 
landing  and  by  the  fanlight  over  the  front  door, 
when,  as  she  applied  her  cloth  to  the  mahogany  bal- 
ustrade, the  door  of  the  east  parlor  opened,  and 
Williams  came  out  of  that  dark  apartment. 

"Lord,  Molly!"  he  said,  a  moment  later,  having 
started  at  suddenly  beholding  her.  "  I  thought 
you  were  a  ghost !  It's  time  to  get  supper,  I  think, 


48  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

from  the  look  of  the  day  outside.  I'll  have  to  make 
a  light." 

From  a  closet  i'n  the  side  of  the  staircase  he  took 
a  candle,  flint,  and  tinder,  talking  the  while  to  Molly, 
as  she  rubbed  the  balusters.  Having  produced  a 
tiny  candle-flame  that  did  not  light  up  half  the 
hall,  Williams  started  towards  the  dining-room,  but 
stopped  at  a  distant  sound  of  galloping  horses, 
which  were  evidently  coming  down  the  Albany  road. 
The  steward  and  the  maid  exchanged  conjectures  as 
to  whether  this  meant  a  British  patrol  or  "Rebel " 
dragoons,  "  Skinners "  or  Hessian  yagers,  High- 
landers, or  Loyalist  light  horse ;  and  then  observed 
from  the  sound  that  the  horses  had  turned  aside 
into  the  Mile  Square  road. 

But  now  came  a  new  sound  of  horses,  and  though 
it  was  of  only  a  few,  and  those  walking,  it  gave 
Williams  quite  a  start,  for  the  footfalls  were  mani- 
festly approaching  the  mansion.  They  as  manifestly 
stopped  before  that  very  hall.  And  then  came  a 
sharp  knock  on  the  mahogany  door. 

"  See  who  it  is,"  whispered  Molly. 

Williams  hesitated.     The  knock  was  repeated. 

"  Who's  there  ?  "  called  out  Williams. 

There  was  an  answer,  but  the  words  could  not 
be  made  out. 

"Who?"  repeated  Williams. 

This  time  the  answer  was  clear  enough. 


THE  MANOR-HOUSE.  49 

"  It's  I,  Williams !  Don't  keep  me  standing  here 
in  the  wind  all  night." 

"  It's  Miss  Elizabeth ! "  cried  Molly ;  and  Wil- 
liams, in  a  kind  of  daze  of  astonishment,  hastily 
unlocked,  unbolted,  and  threw  open  the  door. 


CHAPTER   III. 

THE    SOUND    OF    GALLOPING. 

A  RUSH  of  wind  came  in  from  the  outer  gloom  and 
almost  blew  out  the  candle.  Williams  held  up  his 
hand  to  protect  the  flame  and  stepped  aside  from 
before  the  doorway. 

The  wind  was  promptly  followed  by  Elizabeth, 
who  strode  in  with  the  air  that  a  king  might  show 
on  reentering  one  of  his  palaces,  still  holding  her 
whip  in  her  gloved  hand.  Behind  her  came  Golden, 
the  picture  of  moody  dejection.  When  Cuff  had 
entered  with  the  portmanteaus,  Williams,  seeing  but 
three  horses  without,  closed  the  door,  locked  it,  and 
looked  with  inquiry  and  bewilderment  at  Elizabeth. 

"  Br-r-r-r  !  "  she  ejaculated.  "  Light  up  my  cham- 
ber, Molly,  and  have  a  fire  in  it ;  then  make  some 
hot  tea,  and  get  me  something  to  eat." 

Elizabeth's  impetuosity  sent  the  open-mouthed 
maid  flying  up-stairs  to  execute  the  first  part  of  the 
order,  whereupon  the  mistress  turned  to  the  wonder- 
ing steward. 

"  I've  come  to  spend  a  week  at  the  manor-house, 
Williams.  Cuff,  take  those  to  my  room." 

5° 


THE  SOUND    OF  GALLOPING.  5  I 

The  black  boy,  with  the  portmanteaus,  followed  in 
the  way  Molly  had  taken,  but  with  less  rapidity. 
By  this  time  Williams  had  recovered  somewhat  from 
his  surprise,  and  regained  his  voice  and  something 
of  his  stewardly  manner. 

"  I  scarcely  expected  any  of  the  family  out  from 
New  York  these  times,  miss.  There — " 

"  I  suppose  not !  "  Elizabeth  broke  in.  "  Have 
some  one  put  away  the  horses,  Williams,  or  they'll 
be  shivering.  It's  mighty  cold  for  the  time  of  year." 

"  I'll  go  myself,  ma'am.  There's  only  black  Sam, 
you  know,  and  he  isn't  back  from  the  orchard.  I 
sent  him  to  get  some  apples."  And  the  steward  set 
the  candlestick  on  the  newel  post  of  the  stairway, 
and  started  for  the  door. 

"  No,  let  Cuff  go,"  said  Elizabeth,  sitting  down  on 
a  settle  that  stood  with  its  back  to  the  side  of  the 
staircase.  "  You  start  a  fire  in  the  room  next  mine, 
for  aunt  Sally.  She'll  be  over  from  the  parsonage 
in  a  few  minutes." 

Williams  thereupon  departed  in  quest  of  the 
stable  key,  inwardly  devoured  by  a  mighty  curi- 
osity as  to  the  wherefore  of  Elizabeth's  presence 
here  in  the  company  of  none  but  her  affianced, 
and  also  the  wherefore  of  that  gentleman's  mani- 
fest depression  of  spirits.  His  curiosity  was  not 
lessened  when  the  major  called  after  him  : 

"Tell  Cuff  he  may  feed  my  horse,  but  not  take 


52  THE  CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

the  saddle  off.  I  must  ride  back  to  New  York  as 
soon  as  the  beast  is  rested." 

"Why,"  said  Elizabeth  to  Golden,  "you  may  stay 
for  a  bite  of  supper." 

"  No,  thank  you  !     I  am  not  hungry." 

"A  glass  of  wine,  then,"  said  the  girl,  quite  heed- 
less of  his  tone ;  "  if  there  is  any  left  in  the  house." 

"  No  wine,  I  thank  you  !  "  Golden  stood  motion- 
less, too  far  back  in  the  hall  to  receive  much  light 
from  the  feeble  candle,  like  a  shadowy  statue  of  the 
sulks. 

"  As  you  will ! " 

Whereupon  Elizabeth,  as  if  she  had  satisfied  her 
conscience  regarding  what  was  due  from  her  in  the 
name  of  hospitality,  rose,  and  opened  the  door  to 
the  east  parlor. 

"  Ugh  !  How  dark  and  lonely  the  house  is  !  No 
wonder  aunt  Sally  chose  to  live  at  the  parsonage." 
After  one  look  into  the  dark  apartment,  she  closed 
the  door.  "Well,  I'll  warm  up  the  place  a  bit. 
Sorry  you  can't  stay  with  us,  major." 

"It  is  only  you  who  send  me  away,"  said  Col- 
den,  dismally  and  reproachfully.  "  I  could  have  got 
longer  leave  of  absence.  You  let  me  escort  you 
here,  because  no  gentleman  of  your  family  will  lend 
himself  to  your  reckless  caprice.  And  then,  having 
no  further  present  use  for  me,  you  send  me  about 
my  business ! " 


THE  SOUND   OF  GALLOPING.  53 

Elizabeth,  preferring  to  pace  the  hall  until  her 
chamber  should  be  heated,  and  her  aunt  should 
arrive,  was  striking  her  cloak  with  her  riding-whip 
at  each  step ;  not  that  the  cloak  needed  dusting,  but 
as  a  method  of  releasing  surplus  energy. 

"  But  I  do  have  further  present  use  for  you,"  she 
said.  "  You  are  going  back  to  New  York  to  inform 
my  dear  timid  parents  and  sisters  and  brothers  that 
I've  arrived  here  safe.  They'll  not  sleep  till  you  tell 
them  so." 

"  One  of  your  slaves  might  bear  that  news  as 
well,"  quoth  the  major. 

"Well,  are  you  not  forever  calling  yourself  my 
slave  ?  Besides,  my  devotion  to  King  George  won't 
let  me  weaken  his  forces  by  holding  one  of  his  offi- 
cers from  duty  longer  than  need  be." 

But  Golden  was  not  to  be  cheered  by  pleasantry. 

"  What  a  man  you  are  !  So  cross  at  my  sending 
you  back  that  you'll  neither  eat  nor  drink  before 
going.  Pray  don't  pout,  Golden.  'Tis  foolish  !  " 

"  I  dare  say !  A  man  in  love  does  many  foolish 
things ! " 

The  utterance  of  this  great  and  universal  truth 
had  not  time  to  receive  comment  from  Elizabeth 
before  Cuff  reappeared,  with  the  stable  key ;  and  at 
the  same  instant,  a  rather  delicate,  inoffensive  knock 
was  heard  on  the  front  door. 

"  That    must    be    aunt    Sally,"    said    Elizabeth. 


54  THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

"  Let  her  in,  Cuff.  Then  go  and  stable  the  horses. 
My  poor  Cato  will  freeze  !  " 

It  was  indeed  Miss  Sarah  Williams,  and  in  a  state 
of  breathlessness.  She  had  been  running,  perhaps 
to  escape  the  unseemly  embraces  of  the  wind,  which 
had  taken  great  liberties  with  her  skirts,  —  liberties 
no  less  shocking  because  of  the  darkness  of  the 
evening ;  for  though  De  la  Rochefoucauld  has  settled 
it  that  man's  alleged  courage  takes  a  vacation  when 
darkness  deprives  it  of  possible  witnesses,  no  one  will 
accuse  an  elderly  maiden's  modesty  of  a  like  eclipse. 

"  My  dear  child,  what  could  have  induced  you  —  " 
were  her  first  words  to  Elizabeth ;  but  her  attention 
was  at  that  point  distracted  by  seeing  Cuff,  outside 
the  threshold,  about  to  pull  the  door  shut.  "  Don't 
close  the  door  yet,  boy.  Some  one  is  coming." 

Cuff  thereupon  started  on  his  task  of  stabling  the 
three  horses,  leaving  the  door  open.  The  flame  of 
the  candle  on  the  newel  post  was  blown  this  way 
and  that  by  the  in-rushing  wind. 

"  It's  old  Mr.  Valentine,"  explained  Miss  Sally  to 
Elizabeth.  "He  offered  to  show  me  over  from  the 
parsonage,  where  he  happened  to  be  calling,  so  I 
didn't  wait  for  Mrs.  Babcock's  boy  —  " 

"You  found  Mr.  Valentine  pleasanter  company, 
I  suppose,  aunty,  dear,"  put  in  Elizabeth,  who  spared 
neither  age  nor  dignity.  "  He's  a  widower  again, 
isn't  he?" 


THE  SOUND   OF  GALLOPING.  55 

Miss  Sally  blushed  most  becomingly.  Her  plump 
cheeks  looked  none  the  worse  for  this  modest  suffu- 
sion. 

"  Fie,  child  !  He's  eighty  years  old.  Though,  to 
be  sure,  the  attentions  of  a  man  of  his  experience 
and  judgment  aren't  to  be  considered  lightly." 

Those  were  the  days  when  well-bred  people  could 
—  and  often  did,  naturally  and  without  effort  —  im- 
provise grammatical  sentences  of  more  than  twelve 
words,  in  the  course  of  ordinary,  every-day  talk. 

"We  started  from  the  parsonage  together,"  went 
on  Miss  Sally,  "  but  I  was  so  impatient  I  got  ahead. 
He  doesn't  walk  as  briskly  as  he  did  twenty  years 
ago." 

Yet  briskly  enough  for  his  years  did  the  octoge- 
narian walk  in  through  the  little  pillared  portico  a 
moment  later.  Such  deliberation  as  his  movements 
had  might  as  well  have  been  the  mark  of  a  proper 
self-esteem  as  the  effect  of  age.  He  was  a  slender 
but  wiry-looking  old  gentleman,  was  Matthias  Valen- 
tine, of  Valentine's  Hill ;  in  appearance  a  credit  to 
the  better  class  of  countrymen  of  his  time.  His 
white  hair  was  tied  in  a  cue,  as  if  he  were  himself  a 
landowner  instead  of  only  a  manorial  tenant.  Yet 
no  common  tenant  was  he.  His  father,  a  dragoon 
in  the  French  service,  had  come  down  from  Canada 
and  settled  on  Philipse  Manor,  and  Matthias  had 
been  proprietor  of  Valentine's  Hill,  renting  from 


56  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

the  Philipses  in  earlier  days  than  any  one  could 
remember.  His  grandsons  now  occupied  the  Hill, 
and  the  old  man  was  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  the 
leisure  he  had  won.  His  rather  sharp  countenance, 
lighted  by  honest  gray  eyes,  was  a  mixture  of  good- 
humor,  childlike  ingenuousness,  and  innocent  jocos- 
ity. The  neatness  of  his  hair,  his  carefully  shaven 
face,  and  the  whole  condition  of  his  brown  cloth  coat 
and  breeches  and  worsted  stockings,  denoted  a  fas- 
tidiousness rarely  at  any  time,  and  particularly  in 
the  good  (or  bad)  old  days,  to  be  found  in  common 
with  rustic  life  and  old  age.  Did  some  of  the  dandy- 
ism of  the  French  dragoon  survive  in  the  old  Phil- 
ipsburgh  farmer  ? 

He  carried  a  walking-stick  in  one  hand,  a  lighted 
lantern  in  the  other.  After  bowing  to  the  people  in 
the  hall,  he  set  down  his  lantern,  closed  the  door 
and  bolted  it,  then  took  up  his  lantern,  blew  out  the 
flame  thereof,  and  set  it  down  again. 

"  Whew  !  "  he  puffed,  after  his  exertion.  "  Windy 
night,  Miss  Elizabeth  !  Windy  night,  Major  Golden  ! 
Winter's  going  to  set  in  airly  this  year.  There 
ain't  been  sich  a  frosty  November  since  '64,  when 
the  river  was  froze  over  as  fur  down  as  Spuyten 
Duyvel." 

There  was  in  the  old  man's  high-pitched  voice  a 
good  deal  of  the  squeak,  but  little  of  the  quaver,  of 
senility. 


THE  SOUND    OF  GALLOPING.  $? 

"You'll  stay  to  supper,  I  hope,  Mr.  Valentine." 

From  Elizabeth  this  was  a  sufficient  exhibition  of 
graciousness.  She  then  turned  her  back  on  the 
two  men  and  began  to  tell  her  aunt  of  her  arrange- 
ments. 

"Thankee,  ma'am,"  said  old  Valentine,  whose 
sight  did  not  immediately  acquaint  him,  in  the  dim 
candle-light,  with  Elizabeth's  change  of  front ;  where- 
fore he  continued,  placidly  addressing  her  back  :  "  I 
wouldn't  mind  a  glass  and  a  pipe  with  friend  Wil- 
liams afore  trudging  back  to  the  Hill." 

He  then  walked  over  to  the  disconsolate  Golden, 
and,  with  a  very  gay-doggish  expression,  remarked 
in  an  undertone : 

"  Fine  pair  o'  girls  yonder,  major  ? " 

He  had  known  Golden  from  the  time  of  the  latter's 
first  boyhood  visits  to  the  manor,  and  could  venture 
a  little  familiarity. 

"Girls?"  blurted  the  major,  startled  out  of  his 
meditations. 

The  old  country  beau  chuckled. 

"  We  all  know  what's  betwixt  you  and  the  niece. 
How  about  the  aunt  and  me  taking  a  lesson  from 
you  two,  eh  ? " 

Even  the  gloomy  officer  could  not  restrain  a 
momentary  smile. 

"  What,  Mr.  Valentine  ?  Do  you  seriously  think 
of  marrying  ? " 


58  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

"  Why  not  ?  I've  been  married  afore,  hain't  I  ? 
What's  to  hinder  ?  " 

"Why,  there's  the  matter  of  age."  Golden  rather 
enjoyed  being  inconsiderate  of  people's  feelings. 

"  Oh,  the  lady  is  not  so  old,"  said  the  octogenarian, 
placidly,  casting  a  judicial,  but  approving  look  at  the 
commanding  figure  of  Miss  Sally. 

Then,  as  he  had  been  for  a  considerable  time  on 
his  legs,  having  walked  over  from  the  Hill  to  the 
parsonage  that  afternoon,  and  as  at  best  his  knees 
bent  when  he  stood,  he  sat  down  on  the  settle  by 
the  staircase. 

Miss  Sally,  though  she  knew  it  useless  to  protest 
further  against  Elizabeth's  caprice,  nevertheless  felt 
it  her  duty  to  do  so,  especially  as  Major  Golden 
would  probably  carry  to  the  family  a  report  of  her 
attitude  towards  that  caprice. 

"  Did  you  ever  hear  of  such  rashness,  major  ?  A 
young  girl  like  Elizabeth  coming  out  here  in  time  of 
war,  when  this  neutral  ground  between  the  lines  is 
overridden  and  foraged  to  death,  and  deluged  with 
blood  by  friend  as  well  as  foe  ?  La  me !  I  can't 
understand  her,  if  she  is  my  sister's  child." 

"  Why,  aunt  Sally,  you  stay  out  here  through  it 
all,"  said  Elizabeth,  not  as  much  to  depreciate  the 
dangers  as  to  give  her  aunt  an  opportunity  of  posing 
as  a  very  courageous  person. 

Miss    Sally   promptly  accepted   the    opportunity. 


THE  SOUND   OF  GALLOPING.  59 

"Oh,"  said  she,  with  a  mien  of  heroic  self-sacrifice, 
"  I  couldn't  let  poor  Grace  Babcock  stay  at  the  par- 
sonage with  nobody  but  her  children ;  besides  I'm 
not  Colonel  Philipse's  daughter,  and  who  cares 
whether  I'm  loyal  to  the  King  or  not  ?  But  a  girl 
like  you  isn't  made  for  the  dangers  and  privations 
we've  had  to  put  up  with  out  here  since  the  King's 
troops  have  occupied  New  York,  and  Washington's 
rebel  army  has  held  the  country  above.  I'm  sur- 
prised the  family  let  her  come,  or  that  you'd  coun- 
tenance it  by  coming  with  her,  major." 

"We  all  opposed  it,"  said  Golden,  with  a  sigh. 
"  But  — you  know  Elizabeth  !  " 

"Yes,"  said  Elizabeth  herself  with  cheerful  non- 
chalance, "  Elizabeth  always  has  her  way.  I  was 
hungry  for  a  sight  of  the  place,  and  the  more  the 
old  house  is  in  danger,  the  more  I  love  it.  I'm  here 
for  a  week,  and  that  ends  it.  The  place  doesn't 
seem  to  have  suffered  any.  They  haven't  even 
quartered  troops  here." 

"  Not  since  the  American  officers  stayed  here  in 
the  fall  o'  '76,"  put  in  old  Mr.  Valentine,  from  the 
settle.  "  I  reckon  you'll  be  safe  enough  here,  Miss 
Elizabeth." 

"  Of  course  I  shall.  Why,  our  troops  patrol  all  this 
part  of  the  country,  Lord  Cathcart  told  us  at  King's 
Bridge,  and  we  have  naught  to  fear  from  them." 

"  No,  the  British  foragers  won't  dare  treat  Phil- 


60  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

ipse  Manor-house  as  they  do  the  homes  of  some  of 
their  loyal  friends,"  said  Miss  Sally,  who  was  no  less 
proud  of  her  relationship  with  the  Philipses,  because 
it  was  by  marriage  and  not  by  blood.  "  But  the  hor- 
rible "  Skinners,"  who  don't  spare  even  the  farms  of 
their  fellow  rebels  — 

"  Bah  !  "  said  Elizabeth.  "  The  scum  of  the  earth  ! 
Williams  has  weapons  here,  and  with  him  and  the 
servants  I'll  defend  the  place  against  all  the  rebel 
cut-throats  in  the  county." 

The  major  thought  to  make  a  last  desperate 
attempt  to  dissuade  Elizabeth  from  remaining. 

"  That's  all  well  enough,"  said  he  ;  "but  there  are 
the  rebel  regulars,  the  dragoons.  They'll  be  raiding 
down  to  our  very  lines,  one  of  these  days,  if  only  in 
retaliation.  You  know  how  Lord  Cornwallis's  party 
under  General  Grey,  over  in  Jersey,  the  other  night, 
killed  a  lot  of  Baylor's  cavalry,  —  Mrs.  Washington's 
Light  Horse,  they  called  the  troop.  And  the  Hes- 
sians made  a  great  foray  on  the  rebel  families  this 
side  the  river." 

"  Ay,"  chirped  old  Valentine  ;  "  but  the  American 
Colonel  Butler,  and  their  Major  Lee,  of  Virginia,  fell 
on  the  Hessian  yagers  'tween  Dobbs's  Ferry  and 
Tarrytown,  and  killed  ever  so  many  of  'em, — and  I 
wasn't  sorry  for  that,  neither  !  " 

"Oho!"  said  Golden,  "you  belong  to  the  oppo- 
sition." 


THE  SOUND   OF  GALLOPING.  6 1 

"  Oh,  I'm  neither  here  nor  there,"  replied  the  old 
man.  "  But  they  say  that  there  Major  Lee,  of  Vir- 
ginia, is  the  gallantest  soldier  in  Washington's  army. 
He'd  lead  his  men  against  the  powers  of  Satan  if 
Washington  gave  the  word.  Light  Horse  Harry, 
they  call  him,  —  and  a  fine  dashing  troop  o'  light 
horse  he  commands." 

"  No  more  dashing,  I'll  wager,  than  some  of  ours," 
said  Elizabeth,  whose  mood  for  the  moment  per- 
mitted her  to  talk  with  reason  and  moderation ; 
"  not  even  counting  the  Germans.  And  as  for  lead- 
ers, what  do  you  say  to  Simcoe,  of  the  Queen's 
Rangers,  or  Emmerick,  or  Tarleton,  or  "  —  turning 
to  Golden  —  "  your  cousin  James  De  Lancey,  of  this 
county,  major?" 

The  major,  notwithstanding  his  Toryism,  did  not 
enter  with  enthusiasm  into  Elizabeth's  admiration 
for  these  brave  young  cavalry  leaders.  Staten  Island 
and  East  New  Jersey  had  not  offered  him  as  great 
opportunities  for  distinction  as  they  had  had.  It 
was,  therefore,  Miss  Sally  who  next  spoke. 

"  Well,  Heaven  knows  there  are  enough  on  either 
side  to  devastate  the  land  and  rob  us  of  comfort  and 
peace.  One  wakes  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  at  the 
clatter  of  horses  riding  by  like  the  wind,  and  won- 
ders whether  it's  friend  or  foe,  and  trembles  till 
they're  out  of  hearing,  for  fear  the  door  is  to  be  bro- 
ken in  or  the  house  fired.  And  the  sound  of  shots 


62  THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

in  the  night,  and  the  distant  glare  of  flames  when 
some  poor  farmer's  home  is  burned  over  his  head !  " 

"Ay,"  added  Mr.  Valentine,  "and  all  the  cattle 
and  crops  go  to  the  foragers,  so  it's  no  use  raising 
any  more  than  you  can  hide  away  for  your  own 
larder." 

Elizabeth  was  beginning  to  be  bored,  and  saw 
nothing  to  gain  from  a  continuation  of  these  recitals. 
Doubtless,  by  this  time,  her  room  was  lighted  and 
warm.  So,  thoughtless  of  Golden,  she  mounted  the 
first  step  of  the  stairway,  and  said  : 

"  I  have  no  doubt  Williams  has  contrived  to  hide 
away  enough  provisions  for  our  use.  So  /  sha'n't 
surfer  from  hunger,  and  as  for  Lee's  Light  Horse, 
I  defy  them  and  all  other  rebels.  Come,  aunt 
Sally ! " 

She  had  ascended  as  far  as  to  the  fourth  step  of 
the  stairway,  and  Miss  Sally  was  about  to  follow,  when 
there  was  heard,  above  the  wind's  moaning,  another 
sound  of  galloping  horses..  Like  the  previous  sim- 
ilar sound,  it  came  from  the  north. 

Elizabeth  stopped  and  stood  on  the  fourth  step. 
Miss  Sally  raised  her  finger  to  bid  silence.  Golden' s 
attitude  became  one  of  anxious  attention,  while  he 
dropped  his  hat  on  the  settle  and  drew  his  cloak  close 
about  him,  so  that  it  concealed  his  uniform,  sword, 
and  pistol.  The  galloping  continued. 

When  time  came  for  it  to  turn  off  eastward,  as  it 


THE   SOUND   OF  GALLOPING.  63 

would  do  should  the  riders  take  the  road  to  Mile 
Square,  it  did  not  so.  Instead,  as  the  sound  unmis- 
takably indicated,  it  came  on  down  the  post-road. 

"  Hessians,  perhaps  !  "  Miss  Sally  whispered. 

"  Or  De  Lancey's  Cowboys,"  said  Valentine,  but 
not  in  a  whisper. 

Elizabeth  cast  a  sharp  look  at  the  old  man,  as  if  to 
show  disapproval  of  his  use  of  the  Whigs'  nickname 
for  De  Lancey's  troop.  But  the  octogenarian  did 
not  quail. 

"They're  riding  towards  the  manor-house,"  he 
added,  a  moment  later. 

"  Let  us  hope  they're  friends,"  said  Golden,  in  a 
tone  low  and  slightly  unsteady. 

Elizabeth  disdained  to  whisper. 

"  Maybe  it  is  Lee's  Light  Horse,"  she  said,  in  her 
usual  voice,  but  ironically,  addressing  Valentine.  "  In 
that  case  we  should  tremble  for  our  lives,  I  suppose." 

"  Whoever  they  are,  they've  stopped  before  the 
house  !  "  said  Miss  Sally,  in  quite  a  tremble. 

There  was  a  noise  of  horses  pawing  and  snorting 
outside,  of  directions  being  given  rapidly,  and  of  two 
or  three  horses  leaving  the  main  band  for  another 
part  of  the  grounds.  Then  was  heard  a  quick,  firm 
step  on  the  porch  floor,  and  in  the  same  instant  a 
sharp,  loud  knock  on  the  door. 

No  one  in  the  nail  moved ;  all  looked  at  Elizabeth. 

"A  very  valiant   knock!"   said  she,   with    more 


64  THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

irony.  "It  certainly  must  be  Lee's  Light  Horse. 
Will  you  please  open  the  door,  Golden  ? " 

"  What  ?  "  ejaculated  Golden. 

"  Certainly,"  said  Elizabeth,  turning  on  the  stair- 
way, so  as  to  face  the  door ;  "  to  show  we're  not 
afraid." 

Jack  Golden  looked  at  her  a  moment  demurringly, 
then  went  to  the  door,  undid  the  fastenings,  and 
threw  it  open,  keeping  his  cloak  close  about  him 
and  immediately  stepping  back  into  the  shadow. 

A  handsome  young  officer  strode  in,  as  if  'twere 
a  mighty  gust  of  wind  that  sent  him.  He  wore  a 
uniform  of  blue  with  red  facings,  —  a  uniform  that 
had  seen  service,  —  was  booted  and  spurred,  without 
greatcoat  or  cloak.  A  large  pistol  was  in  his  belt, 
and  his  left  hand  rested  on  the  hilt  of  a  sword.  He 
swept  past  Golden,  not  seeing  him ;  came  to  a  stop 
in  the  centre  of  the  hall,  and  looked  rapidly  around 
from  face  to  face. 

"  Your  servant,  ladies  and  gentlemen !  "  he  said, 
with  a  swift  bow  and  a  flourish  of  his  dragoon's  hat. 
His  eye  rested  on  Elizabeth. 

"  Who  are  you  ? "  she  demanded,  coldly  and  im- 
periously, from  the  fourth  step. 

"  I'm  Captain  Peyton,  of  Lee's  Light  Horse," 
said  he. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE    CONTINENTAL    DRAGOON. 

THE  Peytons  of  Virginia  were  descended  from  a 
younger  son  of  the  Peytons  of  Pelham,  England,  of 
which  family  was  Sir  Edward  Peyton,  of  Pelham, 
knight  and  baronet.  Sir  Edward's  relative,  the  first 
American  Peyton,  settled  in  Westmoreland  County. 
Within  one  generation  the  family  had  spread  to  Staf- 
ford County,  and  within  another  to  Loudoun  County 
also.  Thus  it  befell  that  there  was  a  Mr.  Craven 
Peyton,  of  Loudoun  County,  justice  of  the  peace, 
vestryman,  and  chief  warden  of  Shelburne  Parish. 
He  was  the  father  of  nine  sons  and  two  daughters. 
One  of  the  sons  was  Harry. 

This  Harry  grew  up  longing  to  be  a  soldier.  Mil- 
itary glory  was  his  ambition,  as  it  had  been  Wash- 
ington's ;  but  not  as  a  mere  provincial  would  he  be 
satisfied  to  excel.  He  would  have  a  place  as  a  regu- 
lar officer,  in  an  army  of  the  first  importance,  on  the 
fields  of  Europe.  Before  the  Revolution,  Americans 
were,  like  all  colonials,  very  loyal  to  their  English 
King.  Therefore  would  Harry  Peyton  be  content 
with  naught  less  than  a  King's  commission  in  the 
King's  army. 

65 


66  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

His  father,  glad  to  be  guided  in  choosing  a  future 
for  one  of  so  many  sons,  sent  Harry  to  London  in 
1770,  to  see  something  of  life,  and  so  managed  mat- 
ters, through  his  English  relations,  that  the  boy  was 
in  1772,  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  the  possessor,  by 
purchase,  of  an  ensign's  commission.  He  was  soon 
sent  to  do  garrison  duty  in  Ireland,  being  enrolled 
with  the  Sixty-third  Regiment  of  Foot. 

He  had  lived  gaily  enough  during  his  two  years 
in  London,  occupying  lodgings,  being  patronized  by 
his  relations,  seeing  enough  of  society,  card-tables, 
drums,  routs,  plays,  prize-fights,  and  other  diversions. 
He  had  made  visits  in  the  country  and  showed  what 
he  had  learned  in  Virginia  about  cock-fighting,  fox- 
hunting and  shooting,  and  had  taken  lessons  from 
London  fencing-masters.  A  young  gentleman  from 
Virginia,  if  well  off  and  "well  connected,"  could  have 
a  fine  time  in  London  in  those  days ;  and  Harry 
Peyton  had  it. 

But  he  could  never  forget  that  he  was  a  colonial. 
If  he  were  treated  by  his  English  associates  as  an 
equal,  or  even  at  times  with  a  particular  considera- 
tion, there  was  always  a  kind  of  implication  that  he 
was  an  exception  among  colonials.  Other  colonial 
youths  were  similarly  treated,  and  some  of  these 
were  glad  to  be  held  as  exceptions,  and  even  joined 
in  the  derision  of  the  colonials  who  were  not.  For 
these  Harry  Peyton  had  a  mighty  disgust  and  detes- 


THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON.  6/ 

tation.  He  did  not  enjoy  receiving  as  Harry  Peyton 
a  tolerance  and  kindness  that  would  have  been  denied 
him  as  merely  an  American.  And  he  sometimes 
could  not  avoid  seeing  that,  even  as  Harry  Peyton,  he 
was  regarded  as  compensating,  by  certain  attractive 
qualities  in  the  nature  of  amiability  and  sincerity,  for 
occasional  exhibitions  of  what  the  English  rated  as 
social  impropriety  and  bad  taste.  Often,  at  the 
English  lofty  derision  of  colonials,  at  the  English 
air  of  self-evident  superiority,  the  English  pretence 
of  politely  concealed  shock  or  pain  or  offence  at 
some  infringement  of  a  purely  superficial  conduct- 
code  of  their  own  arbitrary  fabrication,  he  ground 
his  teeth  in  silence ;  for  in  one  respect,  he  had  as 
good  manners  as  the  English  had  then,  or  have 
now,  —  when  in  Rome  he  did  not  resent  or  deride 
what  the  Romans  did.  He  began  to  think  that  the 
lot  of  a  self-respecting  American  among  the  English, 
even  if  he  were  himself  made  an  exception  of  and 
well  dealt  with,  was  not  the  most  enviable  one.  And, 
after  he  joined  the  army,  he  thought  this  more  and 
more  every  day.  But  he  would  show  them  what  a 
colonial  could  rise  to !  Yet  that  would  prove  noth- 
ing for  his  countrymen,  as  he  would  always,  on  his 
meritorious  side,  be  deemed  an  exception. 

His  military  ambition,  however,  predominated,  and 
he  had  no  thought  of  leaving  the  King's  service. 

The    disagreement    between    the    King    and    the 


68  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

American  Colonies  grew,  from  "a  cloud  no  bigger 
than  a  man's  hand,"  to  something  larger.  But 
Harry  heard  little  of  it,  and  that  entirely  from  the 
English  point  of  view.  He  received  but  three  or 
four  letters  a  year  from  his  own  people,  and  the 
time  had  not  come  for  his  own  people  to  write  much 
more  than  bare  facts.  They  were  chary  of  opinions. 
Harry  supposed  that  the  new  discontent  in  the  Col- 
onies, after  the  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act  and  the 
withdrawal  of  the  two  regiments  from  Boston  Town 
to  Castle  William,  was  but  that  of  the  perpetually 
restless,  the  habitual  fomenters,  the  notoriety-seek- 
ing agitators,  the  mob,  whose  circumstances  could 
not  be  made  worse  and  might  be  improved  by  dis- 
turbances. Now  the  Americans,  from  being  a  sub- 
ject of  no  interest  to  English  people,  a  subject 
discussed  only  when  some  rare  circumstance  brought 
it  up,  became  more  talked  of.  Sometimes,  when 
Americans  were  blamed  for  opposing  taxes  to  sup- 
port soldiery  used  for  their  own  protection,  Harry 
said  that  the  Americans  could  protect  themselves  ; 
that  the  English,  in  wresting  Canada  from  the 
French,  had  sought  rather  English  prestige  and 
dominion  than  security  for  the  colonials ;  that  the 
flourishing  of  the  Colonies  was  despite  English 
neglect,  not  because  of  English  fostering;  that  if 
the  English  had  solicitude  for  America,  it  was  for 
America  as  a  market  for  their  own  trade.  There- 


THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON.  69 

upon  his  fellow  officers  would  either  laugh  him  out, 
as  if  he  were  too  ignorant  to  be  argued  with,  or 
freeze  him  out,  as  if  he  had  committed  some  grave 
outrage  on  decorum.  And  Harry  would  rage  inwardly, 
comparing  his  own  ignorance  and  indecorousness 
with  the  knowledge  and  courtesy  exemplified  in  the 
assertion  of  Doctor  Johnson,  when  that  great  but 
narrow  Englishman  said,  in  1769,  of  Americans, 
"  Sir,  they  are  a  race  of  convicts,  and  ought  to 
be  thankful  for  anything  we  allow  them  short  of 
hanging." 

There  came  to  Harry,  now  and  then,  scraps  of 
vague  talk  of  uneasiness  in  Boston  Town,  whose  port 
the  British  Parliament  had  closed,  to  punish  the 
Yankees  for  riotously  destroying  tea  on  which  there 
was  a  tax ;  of  the  concentration  there  of  British 
troops  from  Halifax,  Quebec,  New  York,  the  Jerseys, 
and  other  North  American  posts.  But  there  was 
not,  in  Harry's  little  world  of  Irish  garrison  life,  the 
slightest  expectation  of  actual  rebellion  or  even  of  a 
momentous  local  tumult  in  the  American  Colonies. 

Imagine,  therefore,  his  feelings  when,  one  morn- 
ing late  in  March  in  1775,  he  was  told  that,  within 
a  month's  time,  the  Sixty-third,  and  other  regiments, 
would  embark  at  Cork  for  either  Boston  or  New 
York ! 

There  could  not  be  a  new  French  or  Spanish 
invasion.  As  for  the  Indians,  never  again  would 


7O  THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

British  regulars  be  sent  against  them.  Was  it, 
then,  Harry's  own  countrymen  that  his  regiment 
was  going  to  fight  ? 

His  comrades  inferred  the  cause  of  his  long  face, 
and  laughed.  He  would  have  no  more  fighting  to 
do  in  America  against  the  Americans  than  he  had 
to  do  in  Ireland  against  the  Irish,  or  than  an 
English  officer  in  an  English  barrack  town  had  to 
do  against  the  English.  The  reinforcements  were 
being  sent  only  to  overawe  the  lawless  element. 
The  mere  sight  of  these  reinforcements  would  obvi- 
ate any  occasion  for  their  use.  The  regiment  would 
merely  do  garrison  duty  in  America  instead  of  in 
Ireland  or  elsewhere. 

He  had  none  to  advise  or  enlighten  him.  What 
was  there  for  him  to  do  but  sail  with  his  regiment, 
awaiting  disclosures  or  occurrences  to  guide  ?  What 
misgivings  he  had,  he  kept  to  himself,  though  once 
on  the  voyage,  as  he  looked  from  the  rocking  trans- 
port towards  the  west,  he  confided  to  Lieutenant 
Dalrymple  his  opinion  that  'twas  damned  bad  luck 
sent  his  regiment  to  America,  of  all  places. 

When  he  landed  in  Boston,  June  I2th,  he  found, 
as  he  had  expected,  that  the  town  was  full  of  sol- 
diers, encamped  on  the  common  and  quartered 
elsewhere ;  but  also,  as  he  had  not  expected,  that 
the  troops  were  virtually  confined  to  the  town, 
which  was  fortified  at  the  Neck ;  that  the  last 


THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON.  Jl 

time  they  had  marched  into  the  country,  through 
Lexington  to  Concord,  they  had  marched  back 
again  at  a  much  faster  gait,  and  left  many  score 
dead  and  wounded  on  the  way ;  and  that  a  host 
of  New  Englanders  in  arms  were  surrounding  Bos- 
ton !  The  news  of  April  igth  had  not  reached  Eu- 
rope until  after  Harry  had  sailed,  nor  had  it  met 
his  regiment  on  the  ocean.  When  he  heard  it  now, 
he  could  only  become  more  grave  and  uneasy.  But 
the  British  officers  were  scornful  of  their  clodhop- 
per besiegers.  In  due  time  this  rabble  should  be 
scattered  like  chaff.  But  was  it  a  mere  rabble  ? 
Certainly.  Were  not  the  best  people  in  Boston 
loyal  to  the  King's  government  ?  Some  of  them, 
yes.  But,  as  Harry  went  around  with  open  eyes 
and  ears,  eager  for  information,  he  found  that  many 
of  them  were  with  the  "rabble."  News  was  easy 
to  be  had.  The  citizens  were  allowed  to  pass  the 
barrier  on  the  Neck,  if  they  did  not  carry  arms  or 
ammunition,  and  there  was  no  strict  discipline  in 
the  camp  of  New  Englanders.  Therefore  Harry 
soon  learned  how  Doctor  Warren  stood,  and  the 
Adamses,  and  Mr.  John  Hancock ;  and  that  a  Con- 
gress, representing  all  the  Colonies,  was  now  sitting 
at  Philadelphia,  for  the  second  time;  and  that  in 
the  Congress  his  own  Virginia  was  served  by  such 
gentlemen  as  Mr.  Richard  Henry  Lee,  Mr.  Patrick 
Henry,  Mr.  Thomas  Jefferson,  and  Colonel  Wash- 


/2  THE    CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

ington.  And  the  Virginians  had  shown  as  ready 
and  firm  a  mind  for  revolt  against  the  King's 
measures  as  the  New  Englanders  had.  Here,  for 
once,  the  sympathies  of  trading  Puritan  and  fox- 
hunting Virginian  were  one.  Moreover,  a  Yankee 
was  a  fellow  American,  and,  after  five  years  of 
contact  with  English  self-esteem,  Harry  warmed  at 
the  sight  of  a  New  Englander  as  he  never  would 
have  done  before  he  had  left  Virginia. 

But  it  did  not  conduce  to  peace  of  mind,  in  his 
case,  to  be  convinced  that  the  colonial  remonstrance 
was  neither  local  nor  of  the  rabble.  The  more 
general  and  respectable  it  was,  the  more  embar- 
rassing was  his  own  situation.  Would  it  really 
come  to  war  ?  With  ill-concealed  anxiety,  he  sought 
the  opinion  of  this  person  and  that. 

On  the  fourth  day  after  his  arrival,  he  went  into 
a  tavern  in  King  Street  with  Lieutenant  Massay,  of 
the  Thirty-fifth,  Ensign  Charleton,  of  the  Fifth,  and 
another  young  officer,  and,  while  they  were  drink- 
ing, heard  a  loyalist  tell  what  one  Parker,  leader 
of  the  Lexington  rebels,  said  to  his  men  on  Lex- 
ington Common,  on  the  morning  of  April  iQth,  when 
the  King's  troops  came  in  sight. 

" '  Stand  your  ground,'  says  he.  '  Don't  fire  till 
you're  fired  on,  but  if  they  mean  to  have  a  war,  let 
it  begin  here  ! ' ' 

"And  it  began  there!"   said  Harry. 


THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON.  73 

The  English  officers  stared  at  him,  and  laughed. 

"Ay,  'twas  the  Yankee  idea  of  war,"  said  one 
of  them.  "  Run  for  a  stone  wall,  and,  when  the 
enemy's  back  is  turned,  blaze  away.  I'd  like  to 
see  a  million  of  the  clodhoppers  compelled  to  stand 
up  and  face  a  line  of  grenadiers." 

"Ay,  gimme  ten  companies  of  grenadiers,"  cried 
one,  who  had  doubtless  heard  of  General  Gage's 
celebrated  boast,  "  and  I'll  go  from  one  end  of  the 
damned  country  to  the  other,  and  drive  'em  to  their 
holes  like  foxes.  Only  'tis  better  sport  chasing 
handsome  foxes  in  England  than  ill-dressed  pol- 
troons in  Bumpkin-land." 

"They're  not  all  poltroons,"  said  Harry,  repres- 
sing his  feelings  the  more  easily  through  long 
practice.  "  Some  of  them  fought  in  the  French 
war.  There's  Putnam,  and  Pomeroy,  and  Ward. 
I  heard  Lieutenant-Colonel  Abercrombie,  of  the 
Twenty-second,  say  yesterday  that  Putnam  — 

"Cowards  every  one  of  'em,"  broke  in  another. 
"Cowards  and  louts.  A  lady  told  me  t'other  day 
there  ain't  in  all  America  a  man  whose  coat  sets  in 
close  at  the  back,  except  he's  of  the  loyal  party. 
Cowards  and  louts  !  " 

"  Look  here,  damn  you  !  "  cried  Peyton.  "  I  want 
you  to  know  I'm  American  born,  and  my  people  are 
American,  and  I  don't  know  whether  they  are  of  the 
loyal  party  or  not !  " 


74  THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

"  Oh,  now,  that's  the  worst  of  you  Americans,  — 
always  will  get  personal !  Of  course,  there  are  ex- 
ceptions." 

"Then  there  are  exceptions  enough  to  make  a 
rule  themselves,"  said  Harry.  "  I'm  tired  hearing 
you  call  these  people  cowards  before  you've  had  a 
chance  to  see  what  they  are.  And  you  needn't  wait 
for  that,  for  I  can  tell  you  now  they're  not !  " 

"Well,  well,  perhaps  not,  —  to  you.  Doubtless 
they're  very  dreadful,  — to  you.  You  don't  seem  to 
relish  facing  'em,  that's  a  fact !  You'll  be  resigning 
your  commission  one  o'  these  days,  I  dare  say,  if  it 
comes  to  blows  with  these  terrible  heroes !  " 

Harry  saw  everybody  in  the  room  looking  at  him 
with  a  grin. 

"By  the  Lord,"  said  he,  "maybe  I  shall!"  and 
stalked  hotly  out  of  the  place. 

His  wrath  increased  as  he  walked.  He  noticed 
now,  more  than  before,  the  confident,  arrogant  air 
of  the  redcoats  who  promenaded  the  streets ;  how 
they  leered  at  the  women,  and  made  the  citizens 
who  passed  turn  out  of  the  way.  Forthwith,  he 
went  to  his  quarters,  and  wrote  his  resignation. 

When  the  ink  was  dry  he  folded  up  the  document 
and  put  it  in  the  pocket  of  his  uniform  coat.  Then 
that  last  tavern  speech  recurred  to  him.  "  If  I  re- 
sign now,"  he  thought,  "they'll  suppose  it's  because 
I  really  am  afraid  of  fighting,  not  because  the  rebels 


TtiE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON.  75 

are  my  countrymen."  So  he  lapsed  into  a  state  of 
indecision,  —  a  state  resembling  apathy,  a  half -dazed 
condition,  a  semi-somnolent  waiting  for  events.  But 
he  kept  his  letter  of  resignation  in  his  coat. 

At  dawn  the  next  morning,  Saturday,  June  i^th, 
he  was  awakened  by  the  booming  of  guns.  He  was 
soon  up  and  out.  It  was  a  beautiful  day.  People 
were  on  the  eminences  and  roofs,  looking  northward, 
across  the  mouth  of  the  Charles,  towards  Charlestown 
and  the  hill  beyond.  On  that  hill  were  seen  rough 
earthworks,  six  feet  high,  which  had  not  been  there 
the  day  before.  The  booming  guns  were  those  of 
the  British  man-of-war  Lively,  firing  from  the  river 
at  the  new  earthworks.  Hence  the  earthworks 
were  the  doing  of  the  rebels,  having  been  raised 
during  the  night.  Presently  the  Lively  ceased  its 
fire,  but  soon  there  was  more  booming,  this  time  not 
only  from  the  men-of-war,  but  also  from  the  battery 
on  Copp's  Hill  in  Boston.  After  awhile  Harry  saw, 
from  where  he  stood  with  many  others  on  Beacon 
Hill,  some  of  the  rebels  emerge  from  one  part  of  the 
earthworks,  as  if  to  go  away.  One  of  these  was 
knocked  over  by  a  cannon-ball.  His  comrades 
dragged  his  body  behind  the  earthen  wall.  By  and 
by  a  tall,  strong-looking  man  appeared  on  top  of  the 
parapet,  and  walked  leisurely  along,  apparently  giv- 
ing directions.  Harry  heard  from  a  citizen,  who  had 
a  field-glass,  the  words,  "  Prescott,  of  Pepperell." 


76  THE    CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

Other  men  were  now  visible  on  the  parapet,  superin- 
tending the  workers  behind.  And  now  the  booming 
of  the  guns  was  answered  by  disrespectful  cheers 
from  those  same  unseen  workers. 

The  morning  grew  hot.  Harry  heard  that  Gen- 
eral Gage  had  called  a  council  of  war  at  the  Province 
House  ;  that  Generals  Howe,  Clinton,  Burgoyne,3  — 
these  three  having  arrived  in  Boston  about  three 
weeks  before  Harry  had,  —  Pigott,  Grant,  and  the 
rest  were  now  there  in  consultation.  At  length 
there  was  the  half-expected  tumult  of  drum  and 
bugle;  and  Harry  was  summoned  to  obey,  with 
his  comrades,  the  order  to  parade.  There  was  now 
much  noise  of  officers  galloping  about,  dragoons 
riding  from  their  quarters,  and  rattling  of  gun-car- 
riages.  The  booming  fronr.  the  batteries  and  vessels, 
increased. 

At  half -past  eleven  ^farry  found  himself  —  for  he 
was  scarcely  master  of  his  acts  that  morning,  his  will 
having  taken  refuge  in  a  kind  of  dormancy  —  on 
parade  with  two  companies  of  his  regiment,  and  he 
noticed  in  a  dim  way  that  other  companies  near  were 
from  other  different  regiments,  all  being  supplied 
with  ammunition,  blankets,  and  provisions.  When 
the  sun  was  directly  overhead  and  at  its  hottest,  the 
order  to  march  was  given,  and  soon  he  was  bearing 
the  colors  through  the  streets  of  Boston.  The  roar 
of  the  cannon  now  became  deafening.  Harry  knew 


THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON.  77 

not  whether  the  rebels  were  returning  it  from  their 
hill  works  across  the  water  or  not.  In  time  the 
troops  reached  the  wharf.  Barges  were  in  waiting, 
and  field-pieces  were  being  moved  into  some  of  them. 
He  could  see  now  that  all  the  firing  was  from  the 
King's  vessels  and  batteries.  Mechanically  he  fol- 
lowed Lieutenant  Dairy mple  into  a  barge,  which  soon 
filled  up  with  troops.  The  other  barges  were  speedily 
brilliant  with  scarlet  coats  and  glistening  bayonets. 
Not  far  away  the  river  was  covered  with  smoke, 
through  which  flashed  the  fire  of  the  belching  artil- 
lery. A  blue  flag  was  waved  from  General  Howe's 
barge,  and  the  fleet  moved  across  the  river  towards 
the  hill  where  the  rebels  waited  silently  behind  their 
piles  of  earth. 

At  one  o'clock,  Harry  followed  Lieutenant  Dal- 
rymple  out  of  the  barge  to  the  northern  shore  of  the 
river,  at  a  point  northeast  of  Charlestown  village  and 
east  of  the  Yankees'  hill.  There  was  no  molestation 
from  the  rebels.  The  firing  from  the  vessels  and  bat- 
teries protected  the  hillside  and  shore.  The  troops 
were  promptly  formed  in  three  lines.  Harry's  place 
was  in  the  left  of  the  front  line.  Then  there  was  long 
waiting.  The  barges  went  back  to  the  Boston  side. 
Was  General  Howe,  who  had  command  of  the  move- 
ments, sending  for  more  troops  ?  Many  of  the  sol- 
diers ate  of  their  stock  of  provisions.  Harry,  in  a 
kind  of  dream,  looked  westward  up  the  hill  towards 


^  8  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

the  silent  Yankee  redoubt.  It  faced  south,  west, 
and  east.  The  line  of  its  eastern  side  was  con- 
tinued northward  by  a  breastwork,  and  still  beyond 
this,  down  the  northern  hillside  to  another  river, 
ran  a  straggling  rail  fence,  which  was  thatched 
with  fresh-cut  hay.  What  were  the  men  doing  be- 
hind those  defences  ?  What  were  they  saying  and 
thinking  ? 

The  barges  came  back  across  the  Charles  from 
Boston,  with  more  troops,  but  these  were  disem- 
barked some  distance  southwest,  nearer  Charlestown. 
General  Howe  now  made  a  short  speech  to  the  troops 
first  landed.  Then  some  flank  guards  were  sent  out 
and  some  cannon  wheeled  forward.  The  companies  of 
the  front  line,  with  one  of  which  was  Harry,  were 
now  ordered  to  form  into  files  and  move  straight 
ahead.  They  were  to  constitute  the  right  wing  of 
the  attacking  force,  and  to  be  led  by  General  Howe 
himself.  The  four  regiments  composing  the  two  rear 
lines  moved  forward  and  leftward,  to  form,  with  the 
troops  newly  landed,  the  left  wing,  which  was  to  be 
under  General  Pigott.  The  cannonading  from  the 
river  and  from  Boston  continued. 

The  companies  with  which  was  Harry  advanced 
slowly,  having  to  pass  through  high  grass,  over  stone 
fences,  under  a  roasting  sun.  These  companies  were 
moving  towards  the  hay-thatched  rail  fence  that  strag- 
gled down  the  hillside  from  the  breastwork  north  of 


THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON.  79 

the  redoubt.  Harry  had  a  vague  sense  that  the  left 
wing  was  ascending  the  southeastern  side  of  the  hill, 
towards  the  redoubt,  at  the  same  time.  His  eye 
caught  the  view  at  either  side.  Long  files  of  scarlet 
coats,  steel  bayonets,  grenadiers'  tall  caps.  He  looked 
ahead.  The  stretch  of  green,  grassy  hillside,  the 
hay-covered  rail  fence  looking  like  a  hedge-row,  the 
rude  breastwork,  the  blue  sky.  Suddenly  there  came 
from  the  rail  fence  the  belching  of  field-pieces.  Two 
grenadiers  fell  at  the  right  of  Harry.  One  moaned, 
the  other  was  silent.  Harry,  shocked  into  a  sense 
that  war  was  begun  between  his  King  and  his 
people,  instantly  resolved  to  strike  no  blow  that 
day  against  his  people.  But  this  was  no  time  for 
leaving  the  ranks.  Mechanically  he  marched  on. 

Heads  appeared  over  the  fence-rail,  guns  were 
rested  on  it,  and  there  came  from  it  some  irregular 
flashes  of  musketry.  Then  Harry  saw  a  man  moving 
his  head  and  arms,  as  if  shouting  and  gesticulating. 
The  musket  flashes  ceased.  Harry  did  not  know  it 
then,  but  the  man  was  Putnam,  and  he  was  com- 
manding the  Yankees  to  reserve  their  fire.  The 
British  files  were  now  ordered  to  deploy  into  line, 
and  fire.  They  did  so  as  they  advanced,  firing 
in  machine-like  unison,  as  if  on  parade,  but  aiming 
high.  Nearer  and  nearer,  as  Harry  went  forward, 
rose  the  fence  ahead  and  the  breastwork  on  the  hill 
towards  the  left.  Why  did  not  the  Yankees  fire  ? 


8O  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

Were  they,  indeed,  paralyzed  with  fear  at  sight  of  the 
lines  of  the  King's  grenadiers  ? 

All  at  once  blazed  forth  the  answer,  —  such  a 
volley  of  musketry,  at  close  range,  as  British  grena- 
diers had  not  faced  before.  Down  went  officers  and 
men,  in  twos  and  threes  and  rows.  Great  gaps  were 
cut  in  the  scarlet  lines.  The  broken  columns  re- 
turned the  volley,  but  there  came  another.  Harry 
found  himself  in  the  midst  of  quivering,  writhing, 
yelling  death.  The  British  who  were  left,  — 
startled,  amazed,  — turned  and  fled.  As  mechani- 
cally as  he  had  come  up,  did  Harry  go  back  in  the 
common  movement.  General  Howe  showed  aston- 
ishment. The  left  wing,  too,  had  been  hurled  back, 
down  the  hill,  by  death-dealing  volleys.  The  rabble 
had  held  their  rude  works  against  the  King's  choice 
troops.  Never  had  as  many  officers  been  killed  or 
wounded  in  a  single  charge.  There  had  not  been 
such  mowing  down  at  Fontenoy  or  Montmorenci. 
These  unmilitary  Yankees  actually  aimed  when  they 
fired,  each  at  some  particular  mark !  Harry  had 
heard  them  cheering,  and  had  thought  they  were 
about  to  pursue  the  King's  troops ;  they  had  evi- 
dently been  ordered  back. 

The  troops  re-formed  by  the  shore.  Orders  came 
for  another  assault.  Back  again  went  Harry  with 
the  right  wing,  bearing  the  colors  as  before.  He 
had  secretly  an  exquisite  heart-quickening  elation 


THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON.  8 1 

at  the  success  of  his  countrymen.  If  they  should 
win  the  day,  and  hold  this  hill,  and  drive  the  King's 
troops  from  Boston !  He  knew,  at  last,  on  which 
side  his  heart  was. 

There  was  more  play  of  artillery  during  this 
second  charge.  Harry  could  see,  too,  that  the  vil- 
lage of  Charlestown  was  on  fire,  sending  flames, 
sparks,  and  smoke  far  towards  the  sky.  It  was 
not  as  easy  to  go  to  the  charge  this  time,  there 
were  so  many  dead  bodies  in  the  way.  But  the 
soldiers  stepped  over  them,  and  maintained  the 
straightness  of  their  lines.  Again  it  seemed  as  if 
the  rebels  would  never  fire.  Again,  when  the 
King's  troops  were  but  a  few  rods  from  them, 
came  that  flaming,  low-aimed  discharge.  But  the 
troops  marched  on,  in  the  face  of  it,  till  the  very 
officers  who  urged  them  forward  fell  before  it ;  then 
they  wavered,  turned,  and  ran.  Harry's  joy,  as  he 
went  with  them,  increased,  and  his  hopes  mounted. 
The  left  wing,  too,  had  been  thrown  back  a  second 
time. 

There  was  a  long  wait,  and  the  generals  were  seen 
consulting.  At  last  a  third  charge  was  ordered. 
This  time  the  greater  part  of  the  right  wing  was 
led  up  the  hill  against  the  breastwork.  With  this 
part  was  Harry.  One  more  volley  from  the  rebel  de- 
fences met  the  King's  troops.  They  wavered  slightly, 
then  sprang  forward,  ready  for  another.  But  another 


82  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

came  not.  The  rebels'  ammunition  was  giving  out. 
Harry's  heart  fell.  The  British  forced  the  breast- 
work, carrying  him  along.  He  found  himself  at  the 
northern  end  of  the  redoubt.  Some  privates  lifted 
him  to  the  parapet ;  he  and  a  sergeant  mounted  at 
the  same  time,  and  leaped  together  into  the  redoubt. 
They  saw  Lieutenant  Richardson,  of  the  Royal  Irish 
Regiment,  appear  on  the  southern  parapet,  give  a 
shout  of  triumph,  and  fall  dead  from  a  Yankee 
musket-ball.  A  whole  rank  that  followed  him 
was  served  likewise,  but  others  surged  over  the 
parapet  in  their  places.  The  rebels  were  defend- 
ing mainly  the  southern  parapet.  Many  were  re- 
treating by  the  rear  passageway.  Harry  saw  that 
the  King's  troops  had  won  the  redoubt.  He  took  his 
resolution.  He  threw  the  colors  to  the  sergeant, 
pulled  off  his  coat,  handed  it  to  the  same  ser- 
geant, shouting  into  the  man's  ear,  "  Give  it  to 
the  colonel,  with  the  letter  in  the  pocket ; "  picked 
up  a  dead  man's  musket,  and  ran  to  the  aid  of  a 
tall,  powerful  rebel  who  was  parrying  with  a  sword 
the  bayonets  of  three  British  privates.  The  tramp 
of  the  retreating  rebels,  invading  British,  and  hand- 
to-hand  fighters  raised  a  blinding  dust.  Harry  and 
the  tall  American,  gaining  a  breathing  moment, 
strode  together  with  long  steps,  guarding  their 
flank  and  rear,  to  the  passageway  and  out  of  it ; 
and  then  fought  their  course  between  two  divi- 


'*  GIVE   IT   TO    THE    COLONEL.' 


THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON.  83 

iions  of  British,  which  had  turned  the  outer  corners 
of  the  redoubt.  There  was  no  firing  here,  so  closely 
mingled  were  British  and  rebels,  the  former  too 
exhausted  to  use  forcibly  their  bayonets.  So  Harry 
retreated,  beside  the  tall  man,  with  the  rebels.  A 
British  cheer  behind  him  told  the  result  of  the  day ; 
but  Harry  cared  little.  His  mind  was  at  ease ;  he 
was  on  the  right  side  at  last. 

Thus  did  young  Mr.  Peyton  serve  on  both  sides  in 
the  same  battle,  being  with  each  in  the  time  of  its 
defeat,  striking  no  blow  against  his  country,  yet 
deserting  not  the  King's  army  till  the  moment  of 
its  victory.  His  act  was  indeed  desertion,  deser- 
tion to  the  enemy,  and  in  time  of  action  ;  for,  though 
his  resignation  was  written,  it  was  not  only  unac- 
cepted, but  even  undelivered.  Thus  did  he  render 
himself  liable,  under  the  laws  of  war,  to  an  ignomini- 
ous death  should  he  ever  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
King's  troops. 

During  the  flight  to  Cambridge,  Harry  was  sepa- 
rated from  the  tall  man  with  whom  he  had  come 
from  the  redoubt,  but  soon  saw  him  again,  this  time 
directing  the  retreat,  and  learned  that  he  was  Colonel 
Prescott,  of  Pepperell.  Some  of  the  rebels  discussed 
Harry  freely  in  his  own  hearing,  inferring  from  his 
attire  that  he  was  of  the  British,  and  wondering  why 
he  was  not  a  prisoner.  Harry  asked  to  be  taken  to 
the  commander,  and  at  Cambridge  a  coatless,  bare- 


84  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

headed  captain  led  him  to  General  Ward,  of  the  Mas- 
sachusetts force.  That  veteran  militiaman  heard 
his  story,  gave  it  credit,  and,  with  no  thought  that 
he  might  be  a  spy,  invited  him  to  remain  at  the 
camp  as  a  volunteer.  Harry  obtained  a  suit  of  blue 
clothes,  and  quartered  in  one  of  the  Harvard  College 
buildings.  In  a  few  days  news  came  that  the  Con- 
gress at  Philadelphia  had  resolved  to  organize  a 
Continental  army,  of  which  the  New  England  force 
at  Cambridge  was  to  be  the  present  nucleus ;  that  a 
general-in-chief  would  soon  arrive  to  take  command, 
and  that  the  general-in-chief  appointed  was  a  Virgin- 
ian,—  Colonel  Washington.  Harry  was  jubilant. 

Early  in  July  the  new  general  arrived,  and  Harry 
paid  his  respects  to  him  in  the  house  of  the  college 
president.  General  Washington  advised  the  boy  to 
send  another  letter  of  resignation,  then  to  go  home 
and  join  the  troops  that  his  own  State  would  soon  be 
raising.  On  hearing  Harry's  story,  Washington  had 
given  a  momentary  smile  and  a  look  at  Major-Gen- 
eral  Charles  Lee,  who  had  but  recently  published  his 
resignation  of  his  half-pay  as  a  retired  British  officer, 
and  who  did  not  know  yet  whether  that  resignation 
would  be  accepted  or  himself  considered  a  deserter. 

Peyton  sent  a  new  letter  of  resignation  to  Boston, 
then  procured  a  horse,  and  started  to  ride  to  Vir- 
ginia. Six  days  later  he  was  in  New  York.  In  a 
coffee-house  where  he  was  dining,  he  struck  up  an 


THE    CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON.  85 

acquaintance  with  three  young  gentlemen  of  the 
city,  and  told  his  name  and  story.  One  of  the  three 
—  a  dark-eyed  man  —  thereupon  changed  manner 
and  said  he  had  no  time  for  a  rascally  turncoat. 
Harry,  in  hot  resentment,  replied  that  he  would 
teach  a  damned  Tory  some  manners.  So  the  four 
went  out  of  the  town  to  Nicholas  Bayard's  woods, 
where,  after  a  few  passes  with  rapiers,  the  dark- 
eyed  gentleman  was  disarmed,  and  admitted,  with  no 
good  grace,  that  Harry  was  the  better  fencer.  Harry 
left  New  York  that  afternoon,  having  learned  that 
his  antagonist  was  Mr.  John  Golden,  son  of  the  post- 
master of  New  York.  His  grandfather  had  been 
lieutenant-governor. 

Harry  had  for  some  time  thought  he  would  prefer 
the  cavalry,  and  he  was  determined,  if  possible,  to 
gratify  that  preference  in  entering  the  military  ser- 
vice of  his  own  country.  On  arriving  home  he 
found  his  people  strongly  sympathizing  with  the 
revolt.  But  it  was  not  until  June,  1776,  that  Vir- 
ginia raised  a  troop  of  horse.  On  the  i8th  of  that 
month  Harry  was  commissioned  a  cornet  thereof. 
After  some  service  he  found  himself,  March  31, 
1777,  cornet  in  the  First  Continental  Dragoons. 
The  next  fall,  in  a  skirmish  after  the  battle  of 
Brandy  wine,  he  was  recognized  by  British  officers  as 
the  former  ensign  of  the  Sixty-third.  In  the  follow- 
ing spring,  thanks  to  his  activity  during  the  British 


86  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

occupation  of  Philadelphia,  he  was  made  captain-lieu- 
tenant in  Harry  Lee's  battalion  of  light  dragoons. 
After  the  battle  of  Monmouth  he  was  promoted, 
July  2,  1778,  to  the  rank  of  captain.  In  the  early 
fall  of  that  year  he  was  busy  in  partisan  warfare 
between  the  lines  of  the  two  armies. 

And  thus  it  came  that  he  was  pursuing  a  troop 
of  Hessians  down  the  New  York  and  Albany  post- 
road  on  a  certain  cold  November  evening.  Eager 
on  the  chase,  he  was  resolved  to  come  up  with  them 
if  it  could  be,  though  he  should  have  to  ride  within 
gunshot  of  King's  Bridge  itself.  Suddenly  his  horse 
gave  out.  He  had  the  saddle  taken  from  the  dead 
animal  and  given  to  one  of  his  men  to  bear  while  he 
himself  mounted  in  front  of  a  sergeant,  for  he  was 
loath  to  spare  a  man.  Approaching  Philipse  Manor- 
house,  the  party  saw  a  boy  leading  horses  into  a 
stable.  Captain  Peyton  ordered  some  of  his  men  to 
patrol  the  road,  and  with  the  rest  he  went  on  to  the 
manor-house  lawn. 

Here  he  gave  further  directions,  dismounted, 
knocked  at  the  door,  and  was  admitted  to  the  hall 
where  were  Miss  Elizabeth  Philipse,  Major  Golden, 
Miss  Sally  Williams,  and  old  Matthias  Valentine ; 
and,  on  Elizabeth's  demand,  announced  his  name  and 
rank. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    BLACK    HORSE. 

THANKS  to  the  dimness,  to  his  uniform,  and  to  his 
swift  entrance,  Peyton  had  not  been  recognized  by 
Major  Golden  until  he  had  given  his  name.  That 
name  had  on  the  major  the  effect  of  an  apparition, 
and  he  stepped  back  into  the  dark  corner  of  the  hall, 
drawing  his  cloak  yet  closer  about  him.  This  alarm 
and  movement  were  not  noticed  by  the  others,  as 
Peyton  was  the  object  of  every  gaze  but  his  own, 
which  was  fixed  on  Elizabeth. 

"  What  do  you  want  ? "  her  voice  rang  out,  while 
she  frowned  from  her  place  on  the  staircase,  in  cold 
resentment.  Her  aunt,  meanwhile,  made  the  new- 
comer a  tremulous  curtsey. 

"  I  want  to  see  the  person  in  charge  of  this  house, 
and  I  want  a  horse,"  replied  Peyton,  with  more 
promptitude  than  gentleness,  yet  with  strict  civility. 
Elizabeth's  manner  would  have  nettled  even  a  colder 
man. 

Elizabeth  did  not  keep  him  waiting  for  an  answer. 

"I  am  at  present  mistress  of  this  house,  and  I  am 
neither  selling  horses  nor  giving  them  !  " 

87 


88  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON, 

Peyton  stared  up  at  her  in  wonderment. 

The  candle-flame  struggled  against  the  wind,  turn- 
ing this  way  and  that,  and  made  the  vague  shadows 
of  the  people  and  of  the  slender  balusters  dance  on 
floor  and  wall.  From  without  came  the  sound  of 
Peyton's  horses  pawing,  and  of  his  men  speaking 
to  one  another  in  low  tones. 

"Your  pardon,  madam,"  said  Peyton,  "but  a  horse 
I  must  have.  The  service  I  am  on  permits  no  de- 
lay—" 

"  I  doubt  not !  "  broke  in  Elizabeth.  "  The  Hes- 
sians are  probably  chasing  you." 

"  On  the  contrary,  I  am  chasing  the  Hessians. 
At  Boar  Hill,  yonder,  rny  horse  gave  out.  'Tis  im- 
portant my  troops  lose  no  time.  Passing  here,  we 
saw  horses  being  led  into  your  stable.  I  ordered 
one  of  my  men  to  take  the  best  of  your  beasts, 
and  put  my  saddle  on  it,  —  and  he  is  now  doing 
so." 

"  How  dare  you,  sir !  "  and  Elizabeth  came  quickly 
to  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  a  picture  of  regal,  flaming 
wrath. 

"  Why,  madam,"  said  Peyton,  "  'tis  for  the  service 
of  the  army.  I  require  the  horse,  and  I  have  come 
here  to  pay  for  it  — " 

"It  is  not  for  sale  — " 

"That  makes  no  difference.  You  know  the  cus- 
tom of  war." 


THE  BLACK  HORSE.  89 

"  The  custom  of  robbery !  "  cried  Elizabeth. 

Captain  Peyton  reddened. 

"  Robbery  is  not  the  custom  of  Harry  Lee's  drag- 
oons, madam,"  said  he,  "  whatever  be  the  practice 
of  the  wretched  *  Skinners '  or  of  De  Lancey's  Tory 
Cowboys.  I  shall  pay  you  as  you  choose,  —  with  a 
receipt  to  present  at  the  quartermaster's  office,  or 
with  Continental  bills." 

"  Continental  rubbish  !  " 

And,  indeed,  Elizabeth  was  not  far  from  the 
truth  in  the  appellation  so  contemptuously  hurled. 

"  You  prefer  that,  do  you  ? "  said  Peyton,  unruf- 
fled ;  whereupon  he  took  from  within  his  waistcoat 
a  long,  thick  pocketbook,  and  from  that  a  number 
of  bills ;  which  must  have  been  for  high  amounts, 
for  he  rapidly  counted  out  only  a  score  or  two  of 
them,  repocketing  the  rest,  and  at  that  time,  there- 
abouts, "a  rat  in  shape  of  a  horse,"  as  Washington 
himself  had  complained  a  month  before,  was  "  not  to 
be  bought  for  less  than  £200.  "4  Peyton  handed  her 
the  bills  he  had  counted  out.  "  There's  a  fair  price, 
then,"  said  he;  "allowing  for  depreciation.  The 
current  rate  is  five  to  one,  —  I  allow  six." 

Elizabeth  looked  disdainfully  at  the  proffered  bills, 
and  made  no  move  to  take  them. 

"  Pah !  "  she  cried.  "  I  wouldn't  touch  your 
wretched  Continental  trash.  I  wouldn't  let  one 
of  my  black  women  put  her  hair  up  in  it.  Money, 


90  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

do  you  call  it  ?  I  wouldn't  give  a  shilling  of  the 
King  for  a  houseful  of  it." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  Peyton,  cheerfully. 
"  Since  July  in  '76  there  has  been  no  king  in 
America.  I  leave  the  bills,  madam."  He  laid  them 
on  the  newel  post,  beside  the  candlestick.  "'Tis  all 
I  can  do,  and  more  than  many  a  man  would  do,  see- 
ing that  Colonel  Philipse,  the  owner  of  this  place,  is 
no  friend  to  the  American  cause,  and  may  fairly  be 
levied  on  as  an  enemy  —  " 

"Colonel  Philipse  is  my  father!" 

"  Then  I'm  glad  I've  been  punctilious  in  the  mat- 
ter," said  Peyton,  but  without  any  increase  of  defer- 
ence. "  Egad,  I  think  I've  been  as  scrupulous  as  the 
commander-in-chief  himself ! " 

"  The  commander-in-chief ! "  echoed  Elizabeth. 
"  Sir  Henry  Clinton  pays  in  gold." 

"I  meant  our  commander-in-chief,"  with  a  suavity 
most  irritating. 

"  Mr.  Washington  !  "  said  Elizabeth,  scornfully, 
with  a  slight  emphasis  on  the  "  Mr." 

"  His  Excellency,  General  Washington."  Peyton 
spoke  as  one  would  in  gently  correcting  a  child  who 
was  impolite.  Then  he  added,  "  I  think  the  horse 
is  now  ready ;  so  I  bid  you  good  evening !  " 

And  he  strode  towards  the  door. 

Elizabeth  was  now  fully  awake  to  the  certainty 
that  one  of  the  horses  would  indeed  be  taken.  At 


THE  BLACK  HORSE.  91 

Peyton's  movement  she  ran  to  the  door,  reaching  it 
before  he  did,  and  looked  out.  What  she  saw,  trans- 
formed her  into  a  very  fury. 

"Oh,  this  outrage!"  she  cried,  facing  about  and 
addressing  those  in  the  hall.  "  It  is  my  Cato  they 
are  leading  out !  My  Cato  !  Under  my  very  eyes  ! 
I  forbid  it !  He  shall  not  go  !  Where  are  Cuff  and 
the  servants  ?  Why  don't  they  prevent  ?  And  you, 
Jack  ? " 

She  turned  to  Golden  for  the  first  time  since  Pey- 
ton's arrival. 

"My  troop  would  make  short  work  of  any  who 
interfered,  madam,"  said  Peyton,  warningly,  still 
looking  at  Elizabeth  only. 

"  Oh,  that  I  should  have  to  endure  this ! "  she 
said.  "Oh,  if  I  had  but  a  company  of  soldiers  at 
my  back,  you  dog  of  a  rebel !  " 

And  she  paced  the  hall  in  a  great  passion.  Pass- 
ing the  newel  post,  she  noticed  the  Continental  bills. 
She  took  these  up,  violently  tore  them  across,  and 
threw  the  pieces  about  the  hall,  as  one  tosses  corn 
about  a  chicken-yard. 

Major  Golden  had  been  having  a  most  uncomfort- 
able five  minutes.  As  a  Tory  officer,  he  was  in  close 
peril  of  being  made  prisoner  by  this  Continental  cap- 
tain and  the  latter' s  troop  outside,  and  this  peril  was 
none  the  less  since  he  had  so  adversely  criticised 
Peyton  in  the  talk  which  had  led  to  the  duel  in 


92  THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

Bayard's  woods.  He  had  not  put  himself  on 
friendly  terms  with  Peyton  after  that  affair.  There 
was  still  no  reason  for  any  other  feeling  towards  him, 
on  Peyton's  part,  than  resentment.  Now  Jack  Col- 
den  had  no  relish  for  imprisonment  at  the  hands  of 
the  despised  rebels.  Moreover,  he  had  no  wish  that 
Elizabeth  should  learn  of  his  former  defeat  by  Pey- 
ton. He  had  kept  the  meeting  in  Bayard's  woods  a 
secret,  thanks  to  Peyton's  having  quitted  New  York 
immediately  after  it,  and  to  the  relation  of  depend- 
ence in  which  the  two  only  witnesses  stood  to  him. 
Thus  it  was  that  he  had  remained  well  out  of  view 
during  Elizabeth's  sharp  interview  with  Peyton,  being 
unwilling  alike  to  be  known  as  a  Tory  officer,  and  to 
be  recognized  by  Peyton.  His  civilian's  cloak  hid 
his  uniform  and  weapons  ;  the  dimness  of  the  candle- 
light screened  his  face. 

But  matters  had  reached  a  point  where  he  could 
not,  without  appearing  a  coward,  refrain  longer  from 
taking  a  hand.  He  stepped  forward  from  the  dark 
remoteness. 

"  Sir,"  said  he  to  Peyton,  politely,  "  I  know  the 
custom  of  war.  But  since  a  horse  must  be  taken, 
you  will  find  one  of  mine  in  the  stable.  Will  you 
not  take  it  instead  of  this  lady's  ? " 

Peyton  had  been  scrutinizing  Colden's  features. 

"  Mr.  Golden,  if  I  remember,"  he  said,  when  the 
major  had  finished. 


THE   BLACK  HORSE,  93 

"  You  remember  right,"  said  Golden,  with  a  bow, 
concealing  behind  a  not  too  well  assumed  quietude 
what  inward  tremors  the  situation  caused  him. 

"And  you  are  doubtless  now  an  officer  in  some 
Tory  corps  ? "  said  Peyton,  quickly. 

"  No,  sir,  I  am  neutral,"  replied  Golden,  rather 
huskily,  with  an  instant's  glance  of  warning  at  Eliza- 
beth. 

"  Gad ! "  said  Peyton,  with  a  smile,  still  closely 
surveying  the  major.  "  From  your  sentiments  the 
time  I  met  you  in  New  York  in  '75,  I  should  have 
thought  you'd  take  up  arms  for  the  King." 

"That  was  before  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence," said  Golden,  in  a  tone  scarcely  more  than 
audible.  "  I  have  modified  my  opinions." 

"They  were  strong  enough  then,"  Peyton  went 
on.  "  You  remember  how  you  upheld  them  with  a 
rapier  in  Bayard's  woods  ? " 

"  I  remember,"  said  Golden,  faintly,  first  reddening, 
then  taking  on  a  pale  and  sickly  look,  as  if  a  prey  to 
hidden  chagrin  and  rage. 

It  seemed  as  if  his  tormentor  intended  to  torture 
him  interminably.  Peyton,  who  knew  that  one  of 
his  men  would  come  for  him  as  soon  as  the  horse 
should  be  saddled  and  bridled,  remained  facing  the 
unhappy  major,  wearing  that  frank  half-smile  which, 
from  the  triumphant  to  the  crestfallen,  seems  so 
insolent  and  is  so  maddening. 


94  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

"I've  often  thought,"  said  Peyton,  "I  deserved 
small  credit  for  getting  the  better  of  you  that  day. 
I  had  taken  lessons  from  London  fencing-masters." 
(Consider  that  the  woman  whom  Golden  loved  was 
looking  on,  and  that  this  was  all  news  to  her,  and 
imagine  how  he  raged  beneath  the  outer  calmness  he 
had,  for  safety's  sake,  to  wear.)  "  'Twas  no  hard 
thing  to  disarm  you,  and  I'm  not  sorry  you're  neutral 
now.  For  if  you  wore  British  or  Tory  uniform, 
'twould  be  my  duty  to  put  you  again  at  disadvantage, 
by  taking  you  prisoner." 

The  face  of  one  of  Peyton's  men  now  appeared  in 
the  doorway.  Peyton  nodded  to  him,  then  continued 
to  address  the  major. 

"As  for  your  request,  my  traps  are  now  on  the 
other  horse,  and  there  is  not  time  to  change.  I 
must  ride  at  once." 

He  stepped  quickly  to  the  door,  and  on  the 
threshold  turned  to  bow. 

Then  cried  Elizabeth : 

"May  you  ride  to  your  destruction,  for  your 
impudence,  you  bandit !  " 

"  Thank  you,  madam !  I  shall  ride  where  I 
must !  Farewell !  My  horse  is  waiting." 

And  in  an  instant  he  was  gone,  having  closed  the 
door  after  him  with  a  bang. 

"  His  horse !  The  highwayman  !  "  quoth  Eliza- 
beth. 


THE  BLACK  HORSE.  95 

"Give  the  gentleman  his  due,"  said  Miss  Sally,  in 
a  way  both  mollified  and  mollifying.  "  He  paid  for 
it  with  those."  She  indicated  the  strewn  fragments 
of  the  Continental  bills  on  the  floor. 

"  Forward  !     Get  up  !  " 

It  was  the  voice  of  Captain  Peyton  outside.  The 
horses  were  heard  riding  away  from  the  lawn. 

Elizabeth  opened  the  door  and  looked  out.  Her 
aunt  accompanied  her.  Old  Valentine  gazed  with  a 
sagely  deploring  expression  at  the  torn-up  bills  on 
the  floor.  Colden  stood  where  he  had  been,  lest  by 
some  chance  the  enemy  might  return  and  discover 
his  relief  from  straint. 

"Oh,"  cried  Elizabeth,  at  the  door,  as  the  light 
horsemen  filed  out  the  gate  and  up  the  branch  road 
towards  the  highway,  "to  see  the  miserable  rebel 
mounted  on  my  Cato  !  " 

"  He  looks  well  on  him,"  said  her  aunt. 

It  was  a  brief  flow  of  light  from  the  fresh-risen 
moon,  between  wind-driven  clouds,  that  enabled  Miss 
Sally  to  make  this  observation. 

"  Looks  well !  The  tatterdemalion  !  "  And  Eliza- 
beth came  from  the  door,  as  if  loathing  further  sight 
of  him. 

But  Miss  Sally  continued  to  look  after  the  riders, 
as  their  dark  forms  were  borne  rapidly  towards 
the  post-road.  "Nay,  I  think  he  is  quite  hand- 
some." 


96  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

"  Pah !  You  think  every  man  is  handsome  !  "  said 
the  niece,  curtly. 

Miss  Sally  turned  from  the  door,  quite  shocked. 

"Why,  Elizabeth,  you  know  I'm  the  least  sus- 
ceptible of  women ! " 

Old  Mr.  Valentine  nodded  sadly,  as  much  as  to 
say,  "  I  know  that,  all  too  well !  " 

As  the  racing  clouds  now  rushed  over  the  moon, 
and  the  horsemen's  figures,  having  become  more  and 
more  blurred,  were  lost  in  the  blackness,  Miss  Sally 
closed  and  bolted  the  door.  The  horses  were  faintly 
heard  coming  to  a  halt,  at  about  the  junction  of  the 
branch  road  with  the  highway,  then  moving  on  again 
rapidly,  not  further  towards  the  south,  as  might  have 
been  expected,  but  back  northward,  and  finally  towards 
the  east.  Meanwhile  Elizabeth  stood  in  the  hall, 
her  rage  none  the  less  that  its  object  was  no  longer 
present  to  have  it  wreaked  on  him.  Such  hate,  such 
passionate  craving  for  revenge,  had  never  theretofore 
been  awakened  in  her.  And  when  she  realized  the 
unlikelihood  of  any  opportunity  for  satisfaction,  she 
was  exasperated  to  the  limit  of  self-control. 

"  If  you  had  only  had  some  troops  here ! "  she 
said  to  Golden. 

"  I  know  it  !  May  the  rascal  perish  for  finding  me 
at  such  a  disadvantage !  'Twas  my  choice  between 
denying  my  colors  and  becoming  his  prisoner." 

This  brought  back  to  Elizabeth's  mind  the  talk 


THE  BLACK  HORSE.  97 

between  Golden  and  Peyton,  which  her  feelings  had 
for  the  time  driven  from  her  thoughts.  But  now  a 
natural  curiosity  asserted  itself. 

"  So  you  knew  the  fellow  before  ? " 

"  I  met  him  in  '75,"  said  Golden,  blurting  awk- 
wardly into  the  explanation  that  he  knew  had  to 
be  made,  though  little  was  his  stomach  for  it.  "  He 
was  passing  through  New  York  from  Boston  to 
his  home  in  Virginia,  after  he  had  deserted  from 
the  King's  army  —  " 

"  Deserted  ?  "     Elizabeth  opened  wide  her  eyes. 

Golden  briefly  outlined,  as  far  as  was  desirable, 
what  he  knew  of  Peyton's  story. 

It  was  Miss  Sally  who  then  said : 

"  And  he  disarmed  you  in  a  duel  ?  " 

"  He  had  practised  under  London  fencing-masters, 
as  he  but  now  admitted,"  replied  Golden,  grumpily. 
"  He  made  no  secret  of  his  desertion ;  and  in  a  cof- 
fee-house discussion  I  said  it  was  a  dastardly  act. 
So  we  —  fought.  Since  then  I've  met  officers  of 
the  regiment  he  left.  Such  a  thing  was  never 
known  before,  —  the  desertion  of  an  officer  of  the 
Sixty-third,  —  and  General  Grant,  its  colonel,  has 
the  word  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton  that  this  fellow  shall 
hang  if  they  ever  catch  him." 

"  Then  I  hope  my  horse  will  carry  him  into  their 
hands  !  "  said  Elizabeth,  heartily.  "  My  poor  Cato ! 
I  shall  never  see  him  again  !  " 


$8  THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

"  We  may  get  him  back  some  day,"  said  Golden, 
for  want  of  aught  better  to  say. 

"  If  you  can  do  that,  John  Golden,  and  have  this 
rebel  hanged  who  dared  treat  me  so  —  "  Elizabeth 
paused,  and  her  look  dwelt  on  the  major's  face. 

"Well?" 

"  Then  I  think  I  shall  almost  be  really  in  love 
with  you  !  " 

But  Golden  sighed.  "  A  rare  promise  from  one's 
betrothed  !  " 

"  Heavens,  Jack !  "  said  Elizabeth,  now  diverted 
from  the  thought  of  her  horse.  "  Don't  I  do  the 
best  I  can  to  love  you  ?  I'm  sure  I  come  as  near 
loving  you  as  loving  anybody.  What  more  can  I  do 
than  that,  and  promising  my  hand  ?  Don't  look  dis- 
mal, major,  I  pray,  — and  now  make  haste  back  to 
New  York." 

"  How  can  I  go  and  leave  you  exposed  to  the 
chance  of  another  visit  from  some  troop  of  rebels  ? " 
pleaded  Golden,  in  a  kind  of  peevish  despair,  taking 
up  his  hat  from  the  settle. 

"  Oh,  that  fellow  showed  no  disposition  to  injure 
me  !  "  she  answered,  reassuringly.  "  Trust  me  to 
take  care  of  myself." 

"  But  promise  that  if  there's  any  sign  of  danger, 
you  will  fly  to  New  York." 

"  That  will  depend  on  the  circumstances.  I  may 
be  safer  in  this  house  than  on  the  road." 


THE  BLACK  HORSE.  99 

"  Then,  at  least,  you  will  have  guns  fired,  and  also 
send  a  man  to  one  of  our  outposts  for  help  ?"  There 
was  no  pretence  in  the  young  man's  solicitude. 
Such  a  bride  as  Elizabeth  Philipse  was  not  to  be 
found  every  day.  The  thought  of  losing  her  was 
poignant  misery  to  him. 

"To  which  one?"  she  asked.  "The  Hessian 
camp  by  Tippett's  Brook,  or  the  Highlanders',  at 
Valentine's  Hill?" 

"  No,"  said  Golden,  meditating.  "  Those  may  be 
withdrawn  if  the  weather  is  bad.  Send  to  the  bar- 
rier at  King's  Bridge,  —  but  if  your  man  meets  one 
of  our  patrols  or  pickets  on  the  way,  so  much  the 
better.  Good-by  !  I  shall  see  your  father  to-night, 
and  then  rejoin  my  regiment  on  Staten  Island." 

He  took  her  hand,  bent  over  it,  and  kissed  it. 

"  Be  careful  you  don't  fall  in  with  those  rebel 
dragoons,"  said  Elizabeth,  lightly,  as  his  lips  dwelt 
on  her  fingers. 

"  No  danger  of  that,"  put  in  old  Valentine,  from 
the  settle,  for  the  moment  ceasing  to  chew  an  imag- 
inary cud.  "  They  took  the  road  to  Mile  Square." 
The  octogenarian's  hearing  was  better  than  his  sight. 

"I  shall  notify  our  officers  below  that  this  rebel 
force  is  out,"  said  Golden,  "and  our  dragoons  may 
cut  it  off  somewhere.  Farewell,  then!  I  shall  re- 
turn for  you  in  a  week." 

"In  a  week,"  repeated  Elizabeth,  indifferently. 


IOO  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

He  kissed  her  hand  again,  bowed  to  Miss  Sally, 
and  hastened  from  the  hall,  closing  the  door  behind 
him.  Once  outside,  he  made  his  way  to  the  stables, 
where  he  knew  that  Cuff,  not  having  returned  to 
Elizabeth,  must  still  be. 

"  It's  little  reward  you  give  that  gentleman's 
devotion,  Elizabeth,"  said  Miss  Sally,  when  he  had 
gone. 

"  Why,  am  I  not  going  to  give  him  myself  ?  Come, 
aunty,  don't  preach  on  that  old  topic.  My  parents 
wish  me  to  be  married  to  Jack  Colden,  and  I 
have  consented,  being  an  obedient  child,  —  in  some 
things." 

"  More  obedient  to  your  own  whims  than  to  any- 
thing else,"  was  Miss  Sally's  comment. 

The  sound  of  Colden's  horse  departing  brought 
to  the  amiable  aunt  the  thought  of  a  previous  de- 
parture. 

"  That  fine  young  rebel  captain !  "  said  she.  "  If 
our  troops  take  him  they'll  hang  him  !  Gracious  ! 
As  if  there  were  so  many  handsome  young  men  that 
any  could  be  spared  !  Why  can't  they  hang  the  old 
and  ugly  ones  instead?" 

Mr.  Valentine  suspended  his  chewing  long  enough 
to  bestow  on  Miss  Sally  a  look  of  vague  suspicion. 

The  door,  which  had  not  been  locked  or  bolted 
after  Colden's  going,  was  suddenly  flung  open  to 
admit  Cuff.  The  negro  boy  had  been  thrown  by 


THE  BLACK  HORSE.  IOI 

the  dragoons'  visit  into  an  almost  comatose  condi- 
tion of  fright,  from  which  the  orders  of  Golden  had 
but  now  sufficiently  restored  him  to  enable  his  ven- 
turing out  of  the  stable.  He  now  stood  trembling 
in  fear  of  Elizabeth's  reproof,  stammering  out  a  wild 
protestation  of  his  inability  to  save  the  horse  by 
force,  and  of  his  inefficacious  attempts  to  save  him 
by  prayer. 

Elizabeth  cut  him  short  with  the  remark,  intended 
rather  for  her  own  satisfaction  than  for  aught  else, 
that  one  thing  was  to  be  hoped,  —  the  chance  of 
war  might  pay  back  the  impertinent  rebel  who  had 
stolen  the  horse.  She  then  gave  orders  that  the 
hall  and  the  east  parlor  be  lighted  up. 

"  For  the  proper  reception,"  she  added  to  her 
aunt,  "  of  the  next  handsome  rebel  captain  who  may 
condescend  to  honor  us  with  a  visit.  Mr.  Valentine, 
wait  in  the  parlor  till  supper  is  ready.  I'll  have  a 
fire  made  there.  Come,  aunt  Sally,  we'll  discuss 
over  a  cup  of  tea  the  charms  of  your  pretty  rebel 
captain  and  his  agreeable  way  of  relieving  ladies  of 
their  favorite  horses.  I'll  warrant  he'll  look  hand- 
somer than  ever,  on  the  gallows,  when  our  soldiers 
catch  him." 

And  she  went  blithely  up  the  stairs,  which  at  the 
first  landing  turned  rightward  to  a  second  landing, 
and  thence  rightward  again  to  the  upper  hall.  The 
darkness  was  interrupted  by  a  narrow  stream  of  light 


102  THE    CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

from  a  slightly  open  doorway  in  the  north  side  of 
this  upper  hall.  This  was  the  doorway  to  her  own 
room,  and  when  she  crossed  the  threshold  she  saw 
a  bright  blaze  in  the  fireplace,  lights  in  a  candela- 
brum, cups  and  saucers  on  a  table,  and  Molly  bring- 
ing in  a  steaming  teapot  from  the  next  room,  which, 
being  northward,  was  nearer  the  kitchen  stairs. 
This  next  room,  too,  was  lighted  up.  Solid  wooden 
shutters,  inside  the  windows  of  both  chambers,  kept 
the  light  from  being  seen  without,  and  the  wind  from 
being  felt  within. 

As  Elizabeth  was  looking  around  her  room,  smil- 
ing affectionately  on  its  many  well-remembered  and 
long-neglected  objects,  there  was  a  sudden  distant 
detonation.  Molly  looked  up  inquiringly,  but  Eliza- 
beth directed  her  to  place  the  tea  things,  find  fresh 
candles,  if  any  were  left  in  the  house,  and  help  Cuff 
put  them  on  the  chandelier  in  the  lower  hall,  and 
then  get  supper.  As  Molly  left  the  room,  Miss 
Sally  entered  it. 

"  Elizabeth !  Oh,  child !  There's  firing  beyond 
Locust  Hill.  It's  on  the  Mile  Square  road,  Mr. 
Valentine  says,  —  cavalry  pistols  and  rangers'  mus- 
kets." 

"  Mr.  Valentine  has  a  fine  ear." 

"  He  says  the  rebel  light  horse  must  have  met  the 
Hessians  !  There  'tis  again  !  " 

"  Sit  down,  aunt,  and  have  a  dish  of  tea.     Ah  -  h ! 


THE  BLACK  HORSE.  103 

This  is  comfortable  !  Delicious  !  Let  them  kill  one 
another  as  they  please,  beyond  Locust  Hill ;  let  the 
wind  race  up  the  Hudson  and  the  Albany  road  as 
it  likes,  —  we're  snugly  housed  !  " 

Williams,  who  had,  from  the  upper  hall,  safely 
overheard  Captain  Peyton's  intrusion,  and  had  not 
seen  occasion  for  his  own  interference,  now  came 
in  from  the  next  room,  which  he  had  been  making 
ready  for  Miss  Sally,  and  received  Elizabeth's  orders 
concerning  the  east  parlor. 

Meanwhile,  what  of  Harry  Peyton  and  his  troop  ? 

Riding  up  the  little  tree-lined  road  towards  the 
highway,  they  saw  dark  forms  of  other  riders 
standing  at  the  point  of  junction.  These  were  the 
men  whom  Peyton  had  directed  to  patrol  the  road. 
They  now  told  him  that,  by  the  account  of  a  belated 
farmer  whom  they  had  halted,  the  Hessians  had 
turned  from  the  highway  into  the  Mile  Square  road. 
Peyton  immediately  led  his  men  to  that  road.  Thus, 
as  old  Valentine  said,  that  part  of  the  highway  be- 
tween the  manor-house  and  King's  Bridge  remained 
clear  of  these  rebel  dragoons,  and  Major  Golden 
stood  in  no  danger  of  meeting  them  on  his  return  to 
New  York.  The  major,  nevertheless,  did  not  spare 
his  horse  as  he  pursued  his  lonely  way  through  the 
windy  darkness.  When  he  arrived  at  King's  Bridge 
he  was  glad  to  give  his  horse  another  rest,  and  to 
accept  an  invitation  to  a  bottle  and  a  game  in  the 


IO4  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

tavern  where  the   British  commanding  officer  was 
quartered. 

The  Hessians  had  not  gone  far  on  the  Mile  Square 
road,  when  their  leader  called  a  halt  and  consulted 
with  his  subordinate  officer.  They  were  now  near 
Mile  Square,  where  the  Tory  captain,  James  De 
Lancey,  kept  a  recruiting  station  all  the  year  round, 
and  Valentine's  Hill,  where  there  was  a  regiment  of 
Highlanders.  Their  own  security  was  thus  assured, 
but  they  might  do  more  than  come  off  in  safety,  — 
they  might  strike  a  parting  blow  at  their  pursuers. 
A  plan  was  quickly  formed.  A  messenger  was 
despatched  to  Mile  Square  to  request  a  small  reinforce- 
ment. The  troop  then  turned  back  towards  the  high- 
way, having  planned  for  either  one  of  two  possibilities. 
The  first  was  that  the  rebel  dragoons,  not  thinking 
the  Hessians  had  turned  into  the  Mile  Square  road, 
would  ride  on  down  the  highway.  In  that  case,  the 
Hessians  would  follow  them,  having  become  in  their 
turn  the  pursuers,  and  would  fall  upon  their  rear. 
The  noise  of  firearms  would  alarm  the  Hessian  camp 
by  Tippett's  Brook,  below,  and  the  rebels  would  thus 
be  caught  between  two  forces.  The  second  possi- 
bility was  that  the  Americans  would  follow  into  the 
Mile  Square  road.  When  the  sound  of  their  horses 
soon  told  that  this  was  the  reality,  the  Hessians 
promptly  prepared  to  meet  it. 

The  force  divided  into  two  parts.     The  foremost 


THE   BLACK  HORSE.  105 

blocked  the  road,  near  a  turning,  so  as  to  remain 
unseen  by  the  approaching  rebels  until  almost  the 
moment  of  collision.  The  second  force  stayed  some 
rods  behind  the  first,  forming  in  two  lines,  one  along 
each  side  of  the  road.  As  to  each  force,  some  were 
armed  with  sabres  and  cavalry  pistols,  but  most, 
being  mounted  yagers  of  Van  Wrumb's  battalion, 
with  rifles. 

As  for  the  little  detachment  of  Lee's  Light  Horse 
that  was  now  galloping  along  the  Mile  Square  road, 
under  Harry  Peyton's  command,  the  arms  were 
mainly  broadswords  and  pistols,  but  some  of  the  men 
had  rifles  or  light  muskets. 

The  troop  went  forward  at  a  gallop  against  the 
wind,  there  being  just  sufficient  light  for  keen  eyes 
to  make  out  the  road  ahead.  Harry  Peyton  was 
inwardly  deploring  the  loss  of  time  at  Philipse  Manor- 
house,  and  fearing  that  the  prey  would  reach  its 
covert,  when  suddenly  the  moon  appeared  in  a  cloud- 
rift,  the  troops  passed  a  turn  in  the  road,  and  there 
stood  a  line  of  Hessians  barring  the  way. 

Ere  Peyton  could  give  an  order,  came  one  loud, 
flaming,  whistling  discharge  from  that  living  barrier. 
Harry's  horse  —  Elizabeth  Philipse's  Cato  —  reared, 
as  did  others  of  his  troop.  Some  of  the  men  came 
to  a  quick  stop,  others  were  borne  forward  by  the 
impetus  of  their  former  speed,  but  soon  reined  in  for 
orders.  No  man  fell,  though  one  groaned,  and  two 
cursed. 


106  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

Harry  got  his  horse  under  control,  drew  his  broad- 
sword with  his  right  hand,  his  pistol  with  his  left,  — 
which  held  also  the  rein,  —  and  ordered  his  men  to 
charge,  to  fire  at  the  moment  of  contact,  then  to  cut, 
slash,  and  club.  So  the  little  troop,  the  well  and  the 
wounded  alike,  dashed  forward. 

But  the  line  of  Hessians,  as  soon  as  they  had  fired, 
turned  and  fled,  passing  between  the  two  lines  of  the 
second  force,  and  stopping  at  some  further  distance 
to  reform  and  reload.  The  second  force,  being  thus 
cleared  by  the  first,  wheeled  quickly  into  the  road, 
and  formed  a  second  barrier  against  Peyton's  oncom- 
ing troop. 

Peyton's  men,  intoxicated  by  the  powder-smell  that 
filled  their  nostrils  as  they  passed  through  the  smoke 
of  the  Hessians'  first  volley,  bore  down  on  this  sec- 
ond barrier  with  furious  force.  They  were  the  best 
riders  in  the  world,  and  many  a  one  of  them  held  his 
broadsword  aloft  in  one  hand,  his  pistol  raised  in 
the  other,  the  rein  loose  on  his  horse's  neck ;  while 
those  with  long-barrelled  weapons  aimed  them  on  the 
gallop. 

The  Hessians  and  Peyton's  foremost  men  fired  at 
the  same  moment.  The  Hessians  had  not  time  to 
turn  and  flee,  for  the  Americans,  unchecked  by  this 
second  greeting  of  fire,  came  on  at  headlong  speed. 
"  At  'em,  boys !  "  yelled  Peyton,  discharging  his  pis- 
tol at  a  tall  yager,  who  fell  sidewise  from  his  horse 


THE  BLACK  HORSE. 

with  a  fierce  German  oath.  The  light  horse  men 
dashed  between  the  Hessians'  steeds,  and  there  was 
hewing  and  hacking. 

A  Hessian  officer  struck  with  a  sabre  at  Peyton's 
left  arm,  but  only  knocked  the  pistol  from  his  hand. 
Peyton  then  found  himself  threatened  on  the  right 
by  a  trooper,  and  slashed  at  him  with  broadsword. 
The  blow  went  home,  but  the  sword's  end  became 
entangled  somehow  with  the  breast  bones  of  the  vic- 
tim. A  yager,  thinking  to  deprive  Peyton  of  the 
sword,  brought  down  a  musket-butt  heavily  on  it. 
But  Peyton's  grip  was  firm,  and  the  sword  snapped 
in  two,  the  hilt  in  his  hand,  the  point  in  its  human 
sheath.  At  that  instant  Peyton  felt  a  keen  smart  in 
his  left  leg.  It  came  from  a  second  sabre  blow 
aimed  by  the  Hessian  officer,  who  might  have  fol- 
lowed it  with  a  third,  but  that  he  was  now  attacked 
elsewhere.  Peyton  had  no  sooner  clapped  his  hand 
to  his  wounded  leg  than  he  was  stunned  by  a  blow 
from  the  rifle-butt  of  the  yager  who  had  previously 
struck  the  sword.  Harry  fell  forward  on  the  horse's 
neck,  which  he  grasped  madly  with  both  arms,  still 
holding  the  broken  sword  in  his  right  hand;  and 
lapsed  from  a  full  sense  of  the  tumult,  the  plunging 
and  shrieking  horses,  the  yelling  and  cursing  men, 
the  whirr  and  clash  of  swords,  and  the  thuds  of 
rifle-blows,  into  blind,  red,  aching,  smarting  half- 
consciousness. 


IO8  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

When  he  was  again  aware  of  things,  he  was  still 
clasping  the  horse's  neck,  and  was  being  borne  alone 
he  knew  not  whither.  His  head  ached,  and  his  left 
leg  was  at  every  movement  a  seat  of  the  sharpest 
pain.  He  was  dizzy,  faint,  bleeding,  —  and  too 
weak  to  raise  himself  from  his  position.  He  could 
not  hear  any  noise  of  fighting,  but  that  might  have 
been  drowned  by  the  singing  in  his  ears.  He  tried 
to  sit  up  and  look  around,  but  the  effort  so  increased 
his  pain  and  so  drew  on  his  nigh-fled  strength,  that 
he  fell  forward  on  the  horse's  neck,  exhausted  and 
half-insensible.  The  horse,  which  had  merely  turned 
and  run  from  the  conflict  at  the  moment  of  Peyton's 
loss  of  sense,  galloped  on. 

Clouds  had  darkened  the  moon  in  time  to  prevent 
their  captain's  unintentional  defection  from  being 
seen  by  his  troops.  They  had,  therefore,  fought 
on  against  such  antagonists  as,  in  the  darkness,  they 
could  keep  located.  The  moon  reappeared,  and 
showed  many  of  the  Hessians  making  for  the  wooded 
hill  near  by,  and  some  fleeing  to  the  force  that  had 
re-formed  further  on  the  road.  Some  of  the  Ameri- 
cans charged  this  force,  which  thereupon  fired  a  vol- 
ley and  fled,  having  the  more  time  therefor  inasmuch 
as  the  charging  dragoons  did  not  this  time  possess 
their  former  speed  and  impetus.  The  dragoons,  in 
disorder  and  without  a  leader,  came  to  a  halt.  Be- 
coming aware  of  Peyton's  absence,  they  sought  in 


THE  BLACK  HORSE.  109 

vain  the  scene  of  recent  conflict.  It  was  soon  in- 
ferred that  he  had  been  wounded,  and,  therefore  of 
no  further  use  in  the  combat,  had  retreated  to  a  safe 
resting-place.  It  was  decided  useless  to  follow  the 
enemy  further  towards  the  near  British  posts,  whence 
the  Hessians  might  be  reinforced,  —  as  they  would 
have  been,  had  they  held  the  ground  longer.  So, 
having  had  much  the  better  of  the  fight,  the  surviv- 
ing dragoons  galloped  back  towards  the  post-road, 
expecting  to  come  upon  their  captain,  wounded,  by 
the  wayside,  at  any  moment.  He  might,  indeed,  to 
make  sure  of  safe  refuge,  ride  as  far  towards  the 
American  lines  as  the  wound  he  must  have  received 
would  allow  him  to  do. 

Such  were  the  doings,  on  the  windy  night,  beyond 
Locust  Hill,  while  Elizabeth  Philipse  and  her  aunt 
sat  drinking  tea  by  candle-light  before  a  sputtering 
wood  fire.  Elizabeth  having  set  the  example,  the 
others  in  the  house  went  about  their  business,  de- 
spite the  firing  so  plainly  heard.  Black  Sam  had, 
after  Elizabeth's  arrival,  returned  from  the  orchard, 
whither  he  had  gone  late  in  the  day,  lest  he  might 
attract  the  attention  of  some  dodging  whale-boat  or 
skulking  Whig  to  the  few  remaining  apples.  He 
had  been  let  in  at  a  rear  door  by  Williams,  who  had 
repressed  him  during  the  visit  of  the  American 
dragoons,  —  for  Sam  was  a  sturdy,  bold  fellow,  of 
different  kidney  from  the  dapper,  citified  Cuff.  At 


IIO  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

Williams's  order  he  had  made  a  roaring  fire  in  the 
east  parlor,  to  the  great  comfort  of  old  Mr.  Valen- 
tine, and  was  now  putting  the  dining-room  into  a 
similar  state  of  warmth  and  light.  Williams  was 
setting  out  provisions  for  Molly  presently  to  cook; 
and  the  maid  herself  was,  with  Cuff's  assistance,  re- 
plenishing the  hall  chandelier  with  fresh  candles. 

The  sound  of  firing  had  put  Elizabeth's  black  boy 
into  a  tremulous  and  white-eyed  state.  When  Molly, 
who  stood  on  the  settle  while  he  handed  the  candles 
up  to  her,  assured  him  that  the  firing  was  t'other 
side  of  Locust  Hill,  that  the  bullets  would  not  pene- 
trate the  mahogany  door,  and  that  anyhow  only  one 
bullet  in  a  hundred  ever  hit  any  one,  Cuff  affrightedly 
observed  'twas  just  that  one  bullet  he  was  afraid  of ; 
and  when,  at  the  third  discharge,  Molly  dropped  a 
candle  on  his  woolly  head,  he  fell  prostrate,  howling 
that  he  was  shot.  Molly  convinced  him  after  awhile 
that  he  was  alive,  but  he  averred  he  had  actually  had 
a  glimpse  of  the  harps  and  the  golden  streets,  though 
the  prospect  of  soon  possessing  them  had  rather 
appalled  him,  as  indeed  it  does  many  good  people 
who  are  so  sure  of  heaven  and  so  fond  of  it.  He 
had  been  reassured  but  a  short  time,  when  he  had 
new  cause  for  terror.  Again  a  horse  was  heard 
galloping  up  to  the  house.  It  stopped  before  the 
door  and  gave  a  loud  whinny. 

Molly  exchanged  with  Cuff  a  look  of  mingled  won- 


"  LEANED    FORWARD    ON    THE    HORSE'S    NECK." 


THE   BLACK  HORSE.  Ill 

der,  delight,  and  doubt;  then  ran  and  opened  the 
front  door. 

"  Yes  !  "  she  cried.  «  It  is  !  It's  Miss  Elizabeth's 
horse  !  It's  Cato  !  " 

Cuff  ran  to  the  threshold  in  great  joy,  but  sud- 
denly stopped  short. 

"  Dey's  a  soldier  on  hees  back,"  he  whispered. 

So  Molly  had  noticed,  —  but  a  soldier  who  made 
no  demonstration,  a  soldier  who  leaned  forward  on 
the  horse's  neck  and  clutched  its  mane,  holding  at  the 
same  time  m  one  hand  a  broken  sword,  and  who 
tried  to  sit  up,  but  only  emitted  a  groan  of  pain. 

"He's  wounded,  that's  it,"  said  Molly.  "Go  and 
help  the  poor  soldier  in,  Cuff.  Don't  you  see  he's 
injured  ?  He  can't  hurt  you." 

Molly  enforced  her  commands  with  such  physical 
persuasions  that  Cuff,  ere  he  well  knew  what  he  was 
about,  was  helping  Peyton  from  the  horse.  The 
captain,  revived  by  a  supreme  effort,  leaned  on  the 
boy's  shoulder  and  came  limping  and  lurching  across 
the  porch  into  the  hall.  Molly  then  went  to  his 
assistance,  and  with  this  additional  aid  he  reached 
the  settle,  on  which  he  dropped,  weak,  pale,  and 
panting.  He  took  a  sitting  posture,  gasped  his 
thanks  to  Molly,  and,  noticing  the  blood  from  his  leg 
wound,  called  damnation  on  the  Hessian  officer's 
sword.  Presently  he  asked  for  a  drink  of  water. 

At    Molly's    bidding  the  negro  boy  hastened  for 


112  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

water,  and  also  to  inform  his  mistress  of  the  arrival. 
Elizabeth,  hearing  the  news,  rose  with  an  exclama- 
tion ;  but,  taking  thought,  sat  down  again,  and,  with 
a  pretence  of  composure,  finished  her  cup  of  tea. 
Cuff  returned  with  a  glass  of  water  to  the  hall, 
where  Molly  was  listening  to  Peyton's  objurgations 
on  his  condition.  The  captain  took  the  glass  ea- 
gerly, and  was  about  to  drink,  when  a  footstep  was 
heard  on  the  stairs.  He  turned  his  head  and  saw 
Elizabeth. 

"  Here's  my  respects,  madam,"  quoth  he,  and 
drank  off  the  water. 

Elizabeth  came  down-stairs  and  took  a  position 
where  she  could  look  Peyton  well  over.  He  watched 
her  with  some  wonderment.  When  she  was  quite 
ready  she  spoke  : 

"  So,  it  is,  indeed,  the  man  who  stole  my  horse." 
"  Pardon.     I  think  your  horse  has  stolen  me  !     It 
made  me  an  intruder  here  quite  against  my  will,  I 
assure  you." 

"  You  will  doubtless  not  honor  us  by  remaining  ? " 
There  was  more  seriousness  of  curiosity  in  this  ques- 
tion than  Elizabeth  betrayed  or  Peyton  perceived. 
"What  can  I  do  ?     I  can  neither  ride  nor  walk." 
"  But  your  men  will  probably  come  for  you  ? " 
"  I  don't  think  any  saw  the  horse  bear  me  from 
the   fight.     The  field   was  in  smoke  and  darkness. 
My  troops  must  have  pursued  the  enemy.     They'll 


THE  BLACK  HORSE.  113 

think  me  killed  or  made  prisoner.  If  they  return 
this  way,  however,  I  can  have  them  stop  and  take 
me  along." 

"Then  you  expect  that,  in  repayment  of  your 
treatment  of  me  awhile  ago  —  '  Elizabeth  paused. 

"  Madam,  you  should  allow  for  the  exigencies  of 
war  !  Yet,  if  you  wish  to  turn  me  out  — 

Elizabeth  interrupted  him : 

"  So  it  is  true  that,  if  you  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  British,  they  would  hang  you  ? " 

"  Doubtless !  But  you  shouldn't  blame  me  for 
what  theyd  do.  And  how  did  you  know  ? " 

"  Help  this  gentleman  into  the  east  parlor,"  said 
Elizabeth,  abruptly,  to  Cuff. 

"Ah!"  cried  Peyton,  his  face  lighting  up  with 
quick  gratitude.  "  Madam,  you  then  make  me  your 
guest?"  He  thrust  forward  his  head,  forgetful  of 
his  condition. 

"  My  guest  ? "  rang  out  Elizabeth's  voice  in  an- 
swer. "You  insolent  rebel,  I  intend  to  hand  you 
over  to  the  British  !  " 

There  was  a  brief  silence.    Each  gazed  at  the  other. 

"  You  will  not  —  do  that  ?  "  said  Peyton,  in  a  voice 
little  above  a  whisper. 

"  Wait  and  see !  "  And  she  stood  regarding  him 
with  elation. 

He  stared  at  her  in  blank  consternation. 

Again,  the  sound  of  the  trample  of  many  horses. 


114  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

"  Ah  !  "  cried  Peyton,  joyfully.  "  My  men  return- 
ing!" 

He  rose  to  go  to  the  door,  but  his  wounded  leg 
gave  way,  and  he  staggered  to  the  staircase,  and 
leaned  against  the  balustrade. 

Elizabeth's  look  of  gratification  faded.  She  ran 
to  the  door,  fastened  it  with  bolt  and  key,  and  stood 
with  her  back  against  it. 

The  sound,  first  distant  as  if  in  the  Mile  Square 
road,  was  now  manifestly  in  the  highway.  Would  it 
come  southward,  towards  the  house,  or  go  northward, 
decreasing  ? 

"  They  are  my  men ! "  cried  Peyton  to  Cuff. 
"  Call  them  !  They'll  pass  without  knowing  I  am 
here.  Call  them,  I  say  !  Quick  !  They'll  be  out  of 
hearing." 

"  Silence  !  "  said  Elizabeth  to  Cuff,  in  a  low  tone, 
and  stood  listening. 

Peyton  made  another  attempt  to  move,  but  real- 
ized his  inability.  'Twas  all  he  could  do  to  support 
himself  against  the  balustrade. 

"  My  God,  they've  gone  by  !  "  he  cried.  "  They'll 
return  to  our  lines,  leaving  me  behind."  And  he 
shouted,  "  Carrington  ! " 

The  voice  rang  for  a  moment  in  the  remoteness  of 
the  hall  above.  Then  complete  silence  within.  All 
in  the  hall  remained  motionless,  listening.  The 
sound  of  the  horses  came  fainter  and  fainter. 


THE   BLACK  HORSE.  1 15 

"  Carrington  !  Help  !  I'm  in  the  manor-house, 
—  a  prisoner  !  " 

A  look  of  despair  came  over  his  face.  On  Eliza- 
beth's the  suspense  gave  way  to  a  smile  of  triumph. 

The  sound  of  the  horses  died  away. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

THE    ONE    CHANCE. 

PEYTON  staggered  back  to  the  settle  and  sank 
down  on  it,  exhausted.  Elizabeth,  hearing  black 
Sam  moving  about  in  the  dining-room,  which  was 
directly  north  of  the  hall,  bade  Molly  summon  him. 
When  he  appeared,  she  ordered  him  and  Cuff  to 
carry  the  settle,  with  the  wounded  man  on  it,  into 
the  east  parlor,  and  to  place  the  man  on  the  sofa 
there.  She  then  told  Molly  to  hasten  the  supper, 
and  to  send  Williams  to  her  up-stairs,  and  thereupon 
rejoined  her  excited  aunt  above.  When  Williams 
attended  her,  she  gave  him  commands  regarding  the 
prisoner. 

Peyton  was  thus  carried  through  the  deep  door- 
way in  the  south  side  of  the  hall  into  the  east  par- 
lor, which  was  now  exceedingly  habitable  with  fire 
roaring  and  candles  lighted.  In  the  east  and  south 
sides  of  this  richly  ornamented  room  were  deeply 
embrasured  windows,  with  low  seats.  In  the  west 
side  was  a  mahogany  door  opening  from  the  old  or 
south  hall.  In  the  north  side,  which  was  adorned 
with  wooden  pillars  and  other  carved  woodwork,  was 

116 


THE    ONE    CHANCE.  I  17 

the  door  through  which  Peyton  had  been  carried ; 
west  of  that,  the  decorated  chimney-breast  with  its 
English  mantel  and  fireplace,  and  further  west  a 
pair  of  doors  opening  from  a  closet,  whence  a  wind- 
ing staircase  descended  cellarward.  The  ceiling  was 
rich  with  fanciful  arabesque  woodwork.  Set  in  the 
chimney-breast,  over  the  mantel,  was  an  oblong  mir- 
ror. The  wainscoting,  pillars,  and  other  woodwork 
were  of  a  creamy  white.  But  Peyton  had  no  eye  for 
details  at  the  moment.  He  noticed  only  that  his 
entrance  disturbed  the  slumbers  of  the  old  gentle- 
man —  Matthias  Valentine  —  who  had  been  sleeping 
in  a  great  armchair  by  the  fire,  and  who  now  blinked 
in  wonderment. 

The  negroes  put  down  the  settle  and  lifted  Peyton 
to  a  sofa  that  stood  against  the  western  side  of  the 
room,  between  a  spinet  and  the  northern  wall.  At 
Peyton's  pantomimic  request  they  then  moved  the  sofa 
to  a  place  near  the  fire,  and  then,  taking  the  settle 
along,  marched  out  of  the  room,  back  to  the  hall, 
closing  the  door  as  they  went. 

Peyton,  too  pain-racked  and  exhausted  to  speak, 
lay  back  on  the  sofa,  with  closed  eyes.  Old  Valen- 
tine stared  at  him  a  few  moments  ;  then,  curious  both 
as  to  this  unexpected  advent  and  as  to  the  proximity 
of  supper,  rose  and  hobbled  from  the  parlor  and 
across  the  hall  to  the  dining-room.  For  some  time 
Peyton  was  left  alone.  He  opened  his  eyes,  studied 


Il8  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

the  flying  figures  on  the  ceiling,  the  portraits  on  the 
walls,  the  carpet,  —  Philipse  Manor-house,  like  the 
best  English  houses  of  the  time,  had  carpet  on  its 
floors,  —  the  carving  of  the  mantel,  the  clock  and 
candelabrum  thereupon,  the  crossed  rapiers  there- 
above,  the  curves  of  the  imported  furniture.  His 
twinges  and  aches  were  so  many  and  so  diverse  that 
he  made  no  attempt  to  locate  them  separately.  He 
could  feel  that  the  left  leg  of  his  breeches  was 
soaked  with  blood. 

Finally  the  door  opened,  and  in  came  Williams 
and  Cuff,  the  former  with  shears  and  bands  of  linen, 
the  latter  with  a  basin  of  water.  Williams,  whom 
Peyton  had  not  before  seen,  scrutinized  him  criti- 
cally, and  forthwith  proceeded  to  expose,  examine, 
wash,  and  bind  up  the  wounded  leg,  while  Cuff  stood 
by  and  played  the  role  of  surgeon's  assistant.  Pey- 
ton speedily  perceived  on  the  steward's  part  a  reliable 
acquaintance  with  the  art  of  dressing  cuts,  and  there- 
fore submitted  without  a  word  to  his  operations. 
Williams  was  equally  silent,  breaking  his  reticence 
only  now  and  then  to  utter  some  monosyllabic  com- 
mand to  Cuff. 

When  the  wound  was  dressed,  Williams  put  the 
patient's  disturbed  attire  to  rights,  and  adjusted  his 
hair.  Peyton,  with  a  feeling  of  some  relief,  made  to 
stretch  the  wounded  leg,  but  a  sharp  twinge  cut  the 
movement  short. 


THE   ONE   CHANCE.  1 19 

"  You  should  make  a  good  surgeon,"  Peyton  said 
at  last,  "you  tie  so  damnably  tight  a  bandage." 

"  I've  bound  up  many  a  wound,  sir,"  said  Williams  ; 
"and  some  far  worse  than  yours.  Tis  not  a  danger- 
ous cut,  yours,  though  'twill  be  irritating  while  it 
lasts.  You  won't  walk  for  a  day  or  two." 

"  It's  remarkable  your  mistress  has  so  much 
trouble  taken  with  me,  when  she  intends  to  deliver 
me  to  the  British." 

Peyton  had  inferred  the  steward's  place  in  the 
house,  from  his  appearance  and  manner. 

"Why,  sir,"  said  Williams,  "we  couldn't  have  you 
bleeding  over  the  floor  and  furniture.  Besides,  I 
suppose  she  wants  to  hand  you  over  in  good  con- 
dition." 

"  I  see !  No  bedraggled  remnant  of  a  man,  but  a 
complete,  clean,  and  comfortable  candidate  for  Cun- 
ningham's gallows  !  "  Peyton  here  forgot  his  wound 
and  attempted  to  sit  upright,  but  quickly  fell  back 
with  a  grimace  and  a  groan. 

"Better  lie  still,  sir,"  counselled  Williams,  sagely. 
"  If  you  need  any  one,  you  are  to  call  Cuff.  He  will 
be  in  waiting  in  that  hall,  sir."  And  the  steward 
pointed  towards  the  east  hall.  "  There  will  be  no  use 
trying  to  get  away.  I  doubt  if  you  could  walk  half 
across  the  room  without  fainting.  And  if  you  could 
get  out  of  the  house,  you'd  find  black  Sam  on  guard, 
with  his  duck-gun,  —  and  Sam  doesn't  miss  once  in 


120  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

a  hundred  times  with  that  duck-gun.  Bring  those 
things,  Cuff."  Williams  indicated  Peyton's  hat, 
remnant  of  sword,  and  scabbard,  which  had  been 
placed  on  the  armchair  by  the  fireside. 

"  Leave  my  sword  !  "  commanded  Peyton. 

"  Can't,  sir  !  "  said  Williams,  affably.  "  Miss  Eliza- 
beth's orders  were  to  take  it  away." 

Williams  thereupon  went  from  the  room,  crossed 
the  east  hall,  and  entered  the  dining-room,  to  report 
to  Elizabeth,  who  now  sat  at  supper  with  Miss  Sally 
and  Mr.  Valentine. 

Cuff,  with  basin  of  water  in  one  hand,  took  up  the 
hat,  sword,  and  scabbard,  with  the  other. 

"  Miss  Elizabeth  !  "  mused  Peyton.  "  Queen  Eliza- 
beth, I  should  say,  in  this  house.  Gad,  to  be  a  girl's 
prisoner,  tied  down  to  a  sofa  by  so  small  a  cut !  " 
Hereupon  he  addressed  Cuff,  who  was  about  to 
depart  :  "  Where  is  your  mistress  ?  " 

"  In  the  dining-room,  eating  supper." 

"  And  Mr.  Colden,  whom  I  saw  in  that  hall  about 
an  hour  ago,  when  I  bought  the  horse  ? " 

"  Major  Colden  rode  back  to  New  York." 

"Major  Colden  !     Major  of  what  ?  " 

"  New  Juzzey  Vollingteers,  sir." 

"  What  ?  Then  he  is  in  the  King's  service,  after 
all  ?  And  when  I  was  here  with  my  troops  he  said 
he  was  neutral.  I'll  never  take  a  Tory's  word 
again." 


THE    ONE   CHANCE.  121 

"  Am  you  like  to  hab  de  chance,  sir  ? "  queried 
Cuff,  with  a  grin. 

"  What !  You  taunt  me  with  my  situation  ? "  And 
Harry's  head  shot  up  from  the  sofa  as  he  made  to 
rise  and  chastise  the  boy ;  but  he  could  not  stand 
on  his  leg,  and  so  remained  sitting,  propped  on  his 
right  arm,  panting  and  glaring  at  the  negro. 

Cuff,  whose  whiteness  of  teeth  had  shown  in  his 
moment  of  mirth,  now  displayed  much  whiteness  of 
eye  in  his  alarm  at  Peyton's  movement,  and  glided  to 
the  door.  As  he  went  out  to  the  hall,  he  passed 
Molly,  who  was  coming  into  the  parlor  with  a  bowl 
of  broth. 

"  Hah !  "  ejaculated  Peyton  as  she  came  towards 
him.  "They  would  feed  the  animal  for  the  slaugh- 
ter, eh  ? " 

Molly  curtseyed. 

"  Please,  sir,  it  wa'n't  they  sent  this.  I  brought  it 
of  my  own  accord,  sir,  though  with  Miss  Elizabeth's 
permission." 

"Oh!  so  Miss  Elizabeth  did  give  her  permission, 
then  ? " 

"  Yes,  sir.  At  least,  she  said  it  didn't  matter,  if  I 
wished  to." 

"  And  you  did  wish  to  ?  Well,  you're  a  good  girl, 
and  I  thank  you." 

Whereupon  Peyton  took  the  bowl  and  sipped  of 
the  broth  with  relish. 


122  THE    CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

"Thank  you,  sir,"  said  Molly,  who  then  moved  a 
small  light  chair  from  its  place  by  the  wall  to  a  spot 
beside  the  sofa  and  within  Peyton's  reach.  "  You 
can  set  the  bowl  on  this,"  she  added.  "  I  must  go 
back  to  the  kitchen."  And,  after  another  curtsey, 
she  was  gone. 

The  broth  revived  Peyton,  and  with  all  his  pain 
and  fatigue  he  had  some  sense  of  comfort.  The 
handsome,  well  warmed,  well  lighted  parlor,  so 
richly  furnished,  so  well  protected  from  the  wind 
and  weather  by  the  solid  shutters  outside  its  four 
small-paned  windows,  was  certainly  a  snug  corner 
of  the  world.  So  far  seemed  all  this  from  stress 
and  war,  that  Peyton  lost  his  strong  realization  of  the 
fate  that  Elizabeth's  threat  promised  him.  Appreci- 
ation of  his  surroundings  drove  away  other  thoughts 
and  feelings.  That  he  should  be  taken  and  hanged 
was  an  idea  so  remote  from  his  present  situation,  it 
seemed  rather  like  a  dream  than  an  imminent  reality. 
There  surely  would  be  a  way  of  his  getting  hence  in 
safety.  And  he  imbibed  mouthful  after  mouthful  of 
the  warm  broth. 

Presently  old  Mr.  Valentine  reappeared,  from  the 
east  hall,  looking  none  the  less  comfortable  for  the 
supper  he  had  eaten.  A  long  pipe  was  in  his  hand, 
and,  that  he  might  absorb  smoke  and  liquor  at  the 
same  time,  he  had  brought  with  him  from  the  table, 
where  the  two  ladies  remained,  a  vast  mug  of  hot 


THE   ONE   CHANCE.  123 

rum  punch  of  Williams's  brewing.  He  now  set  the 
mug  on  the  mantel,  lighted  his  pipe  with  a  brand 
from  the  fire,  repossessed  himself  of  the  mug,  and 
sat  down  in  the  armchair,  with  a  sigh  of  huge  satis- 
faction. It  mattered  not  that  this  was  the  parlor  of 
Philipse  Manor-house,  —  for  Mr.  Valentine,  in  his 
innocent  way,  indulged  himself  freely  in  the  privi- 
leges and  presumptions  of  old  age. 

Peyton,  after  staring  for  some  time  with  curiosity 
at  the  smoky  old  gentleman,  who  rapidly  grew  smok- 
ier, at  last  raised  the  bowl  of  broth  for  a  last  gulp, 
saying,  cheerily : 

"  To  your  very  good  health,  sir  !  " 

"Thank  you,  sir!"  said  the  old  man,  compla- 
cently, not  making  any  movement  to  reciprocate. 

"  What !  won't  you  drink  to  mine  ? " 

"  Twould  be  a  waste  of  words  to  drink  the  health 
of  a  man  that's  going  to  be  hanged,"  replied  Valen- 
tine, who  at  supper  had  heard  the  ladies  discuss 
Peyton's  intended  fate.  He  thereupon  sent  a  cloud 
of  smoke  ceiling-ward  for  the  flying  cherubs  to  rest  on. 

"  The  devil !     You  are  economical ! " 

"Of  words,  maybe,  not  of  liquor."  The  octoge- 
narian quaffed  deeply  from  the  mug.  "They  say 
hanging  is  an  easy  death,"  he  went  on,  being  in  lo- 
quacious mood.  "  I  never  saw  but  one  man  hanged. 
He  didn't  seem  to  enjoy  it."  Mr.  Valentine  puffed 
slowly,  inwardly  dwelling  on  the  recollection. 


124  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

"  Oh,  didn't  he  ?  "  said  Peyton. 

"  No,  he  took  it  most  unpleasant  like." 

"  Did  you  come  in  here  to  cheer  me  up  in  my  last 
hours  ? "  queried  Harry,  putting  the  empty  bowl  on 
the  chair  by  the  sofa. 

"  No,"  replied  the  other,  ingenuously.  "  I  came 
in  for  a  smoke  while  the  ladies  stayed  at  the  table." 
He  then  went  back  to  a  subject  that  seemed  to  have 
attractions  for  him.  "  I  don't  know  how  hanging  will 
go  with  you.  Cunningham  will  do  the  work.5  They 
say  he  makes  it  as  disagreeable  as  may  be.  I'd  come 
and  see  you  hanged,  but  it  won't  be  possible." 

"Then  I  suppose  I  shall  have  to  excuse  you,"  said 
Peyton,  with  resignation. 

"  Yes."  The  old  man  had  finished  his  punch  and 
set  down  his  mug,  and  he  now  yawned  with  a  com- 
pleteness that  revealed  vastly  more  of  red  toothless 
mouth  than  one  might  have  calculated  his  face  could 
contain.  "  Some  take  it  easier  than  others,"  he 
went  on.  "  It's  harder  with  young  men  like  you." 
Again  he  opened  his  jaws  in  a  gape  as  whole-souled 
as  that  of  a  house-dog  before  a  kitchen  fire.  "  It 
must  be  disagreeable  to  have  a  rope  tightened  around 
your  neck.  I  don't  know."  He  thrust  his  pipe-stem 
absently  between  his  lips,  closed  his  eyes,  mumbled 
absently,  "  I  don't  know,"  and  in  a  few  moments  was 
asleep,  his  pipe  hanging  from  his  mouth,  his  hands 
folded  in  his  lap. 


THE   ONE   CHANCE.  125 

"A  cheerful  companion  for  a  man  in  my  situa- 
tion," thought  Peyton.  His  mind  had  been  brought 
back  to  the  future.  When  would  this  resolute  and 
vengeful  Miss  Elizabeth  fulfil  her  threat  ?  How 
would  she  proceed  about  it  ?  Had  she  already  taken 
measures  towards  his  conveyance  to  the  British  lines  ? 
Should  she  delay  until  he  should  be  able  to  walk, 
there  would  be  two  words  about  the  matter.  Mean- 
while, he  must  wait  for  developments.  It  was  use- 
less to  rack  his  brain  with  conjectures.  His  sense 
of  present  comfort  gradually  resumed  sway,  and  he 
placed  his  head  again  on  the  sofa  pillow  and  closed 
his  eyes. 

He  was  conscious  for  a  time  of  nothing  but  his 
deadened  pain,  his  inward  comfort,  the  breathing  of 
old  Mr.  Valentine,  the  intermittent  raging  of  the 
wind  without,  and  the  steady  ticking  of  the  clock  on 
the  mantel,  —  which  delicately  framed  timepiece  had 
been  started  within  the  hour  by  Sam,  who  knew 
Miss  Elizabeth's  will  for  having  all  things  in  running 
order.  Peyton's  drowsiness  wrapped  him  closer  and 
closer.  Presently  he  was  remotely  aware  of  the 
opening  of  the  door,  the  tread  of  light  feet  on  the 
floor,  the  swish  of  skirts.  But  he  had  now  reached 
that  lethargic  point  which  involves  total  indifference 
to  outer  things,  and  he  did  not  even  open  his  eyes. 

"  Asleep,"  said  Elizabeth,  for  it  was  she  who  had 
entered  with  her  aunt. 


126  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

Harry  recognized  the  voice,  and  knew  that  he  was 
the  subject  of  her  remark;  but  his  feeling  towards 
his  contemptuous  captor  was  not  such  as  to  make 
him  take  the  trouble  of  setting  her  right.  There- 
fore, he  kept  his  eyes  closed,  having  a  kind  of  satis- 
faction in  her  being  mistaken. 

"  How  handsome ! "  whispered  Miss  Sally,  who 
beamed  more  bigly  and  benignly  after  supper  than 
before. 

"Which  one,  aunty?"  said  Elizabeth,  looking 
from  Peyton  to  old  Valentine. 

Her  aunt  deigned  to  this  levity  only  a  look  of 
hopeless  reproof. 

Elizabeth  sat  down  on  the  music-seat  before  the 
spinet,  and  became  serious,  —  or,  more  accurately, 
businesslike. 

"On  second  thought,"  said  she,  "it  won't  do  to 
keep  him  here  waiting  for  one  of  our  patrols  to  pass 
this  way.  In  the  meantime  some  of  the  rebels  might 
come  into  the  neighborhood  and  stop  here.  He 
must  be  delivered  to  the  British  this  very  night ! " 

Peyton  gave  no  outward  sign  of  the  momentary 
heart  stoppage  he  felt  within. 

"  Why,"  said  the  aunt,  speaking  low,  and  in  some 
alarm,  "  'twould  require  Williams  and  both  the  blacks 
to  take  him,  and  we  should  be  left  alone  in  the 
house." 

"  I  sha'n't  send  him  to  the  troops,"  said  Elizabeth, 


THE   ONE   CHANCE.  I2/ 

in  her  usual  tone,  not  caring  whether  or  not  the 
prisoner  should  be  disturbed,  —  for  in  his  powerless- 
ness  he  could  not  oppose  her  plans  if  he  did  know 
them,  and  in  her  disdain  she  had  no  consideration 
for  his  feelings.  "  The  troops  shall  come  for  him. 
Black  Sam  shall  go  to  the  watch-house  at  King's 
Bridge  with  word  that  there's  an  important  rebel 
prisoner  held  here,  to  be  had  for  the  taking." 

"Will  the  troops  at  King's  Bridge  heed  the  story 
of  a  black  man  ? "  Aunt  Sally  seemed  desirous  of 
interposing  objections  to  immediate  action. 

"  Their  officer  will  heed  a  written  message  from 
me,"  said  the  niece.  "  Most  of  the  officers  know 
me,  and  those  at  King's  Bridge  are  aware  I  came 
here  to-day." 

Thereupon  she  called  in  Cuff,  and  sent  him  off 
for  Williams,  with  orders  that  the  steward  should 
bring  her  pen,  ink,  paper,  and  wax. 

"  Oh,  Elizabeth  !  "  cried  Miss  Sally,  looking  at  the 
floor.  "Here's  some  of  the  poor  fellow's  blood  on 
the  carpet." 

"  Never  mind.  The  blood  of  an  enemy  is  a  sight 
easily  tolerated,"  said  the  girl,  probably  unaware 
how  nearly  she  had  duplicated  a  famous  utterance  of 
a  certain  King  of  France,  whose  remark  had  borne 
reference  to  another  sense  than  that  of  sight.6 

Williams  soon  came  in  with  the  writing  materials, 
and  placed  them,  at  Elizabeth's  direction,  on  a  table 


128  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

that  stood  between  the  two  eastern  windows,  and  on 
which  was  a  lighted  candelabrum.  Elizabeth  sat 
down  at  the  table,  her  back  towards  the  fireplace 
and  Peyton. 

"  I  wish  you  to  send  black  Sam  to  me,"  said  she 
to  the  steward,  "  and  to  take  his  place  on  guard  with 
the  gun  till  he  returns  from  an  errand." 

Williams  departed,  and  Elizabeth  began  to  make 
the  quill  fly  over  the  paper,  her  aunt  looking  on  from 
beside  the  table.  Peyton  opened  his  eyes  and  looked 
at  them. 

"  It  does  seem  a  pity,"  said  Miss  Sally  at  last. 
"  Such  a  pretty  gentleman,  —  such  a  gallant  soldier !  " 

"  Gentleman  ? "  echoed  Elizabeth,  writing  on. 
"  The  fellow  is  not  a  gentleman !  Nor  a  gallant 
soldier ! " 

Peyton  rose  to  a  sitting  posture  as  if  stung  by  a 
hornet,  but  was  instantly  reminded  of  his  wound. 
But  neither  Elizabeth  nor  her  aunt  saw  or  heard  his 
movement.  The  girl,  unaware  that  he  was  awake, 
continued  : 

"  Does  a  gentleman  or  a  gallant  soldier  desert  the 
army  of  his  king  to  join  that  of  his  king's  enemies  ?  " 

Quick  came  the  answer,  —  not  from  aunt  Sally, 
but  from  Peyton  on  the  sofa. 

"A  gallant  soldier  has  the  right  to  choose  his 
side,  and  a  gentleman  need  not  fight  against  his 
country !  " 


THE   ONE   CHAA'CE. 

Elizabeth  did  not  suffer  herself  to  appear  startled 
at  this  sudden  breaking  in.  Having  finished  her 
note,  she  quietly  folded  it,  and  addressed  it,  while 
she  said : . 

"A  gallant  soldier,  having  once  chosen  his  side, 
will  be  loyal  to  it  ;  and  a  gentleman  never  bore  the 
odious  title  of  deserter." 

"  A  gentleman  can  afford  to  wear  any  title  that  is 
redeemed  by  a  glorious  cause  and  an  extraordinary 
danger.  When  I  took  service  with  the  King's  army 
in  England,  I  never  dreamt  that  army  would  be  sent 
against  the  King's  own  colonies ;  and  not  till  I 
arrived  in  Boston  did  I  know  the  true  character  of 
this  revolt.  We  thought  we  were  coming  over 
merely  to  quell  a  lawless  Boston  rabble.  I  gave 
in  my  resignation  —  " 

"But  did  not  wait  for  it  to  be  accepted,"  inter- 
rupted Elizabeth,  quietly,  as  she  applied  to  the  folded 
paper  the  wax  softened  by  the  flame  of  a  candle. 

"  I  was  a  little  hasty,"  said  Harry. 

"  The  rebel  army  was  the  proper  place  for  such 
fellows,"  said  Elizabeth.  "No  true  British  officer 
would  be  guilty  of  such  a  deed  !  " 

"  Probably  not !    It  required  exceptional  courage  !  " 

Peyton  knew,  as  well  as  any,  that  the  British 
were  brave  enough  ;  but  he  was  in  mood  for  sharp 
retort. 

"That  is  not  the  reason,"  said  Elizabeth,  coldly, 


130  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

refusing  to  show  wrath.  "  Your  enemies  hold  such 
acts  as  yours  in  detestation." 

"  I  am  not  serving  in  this  war  for  the  approbation 
of  my  enemies." 

At  this  moment  black  Sam  came  in.  Elizabeth 
handed  him  the  letter,  and  said  : 

"You  are  to  take  my  horse  Cato,  and  ride  with 
this  message  to  the  British  barrier  at  King's  Bridge. 
It  is  for  the  officer  in  command  there.  When  the 
sentries  challenge  you,  show  this,  and  say  it  is  of  the 
greatest  consequence  and  must  be  delivered  at  once." 

"Yes,  Miss  Elizabeth." 

"The  commander,"  she  went  on,  "will  probably 
send  here  a  body  of  troops  at  once,  to  convey  this 
prisoner  within  the  lines.  You  are  to  return  with 
them.  If  no  time  is  lost,  and  they  send  mounted 
troops,  you  should  be  back  in  an  hour." 

Peyton  could  hardly  repress  a  start. 

"  An  hour  at  most,  miss,  if  nothing  stops,"  said 
the  negro. 

"  If  any  officer  of  my  acquaintance  is  in  command," 
said  Elizabeth,  "  there  will  be  no  delay.  Cuff  shall 
let  the  troops  in,  through  that  hall,  as  soon  as  they 
arrive." 

Whereupon  the  black  man,  a  stalwart  and  cour- 
ageous specimen  of  his  race,  went  rapidly  from  the 
room. 

"  One  hour !  "  murmured  Peyton,  looking  at  the 
clock. 


THE   ONE   CHANCE.  \$\ 

Molly,  the  maid,  now  reappeared,  carrying  carefully 
in  one  hand  a  cup,  from  which  a  thin  steam  ascended. 

"What  is't  now,  Molly?"  inquired  Elizabeth, 
rising  from  her  chair. 

Molly  blushed  and  was  much  confused.  "Tea, 
ma'am,  if  you  please!  I  thought,  maybe,  you'd 
allow  the  gentleman  —  " 

"  Very  well,"  said  Elizabeth.  "  Be  the  good 
Samaritan  if  you  like,  child.  His  tea-drinking  days 
will  soon  be  over.  Come,  aunt  Sally,  we  shall  be  in 
better  company  elsewhere."  And  she  returned  to 
the  dining-room,  not  deigning  her  prisoner  another 
look. 

Miss  Sally  followed,  but  her  feelings  required  con- 
fiding in  some  one,  and  before  she  went  she  whis- 
pered to  the  embarrassed  maid,  "  Oh,  Molly,  to  think 
so  sweet  a  young  gentleman  should  be  completely 
wasted !  " 

Molly  heaved  a  sigh,  and  then  approached  the 
young  gentleman  himself,  with  whom  she  was  now 
alone,  saving  the  presence  of  the  slumbering  Valen- 
tine. 

"So  your  name  is  Molly?  And  you've  brought 
me  tea  this  time  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  — if  you  please,  sir."  She  took  up  the 
bowl  from  the  chair  and  placed  the  cup  in  its  stead. 
"I  put  sugar  in  this,  sir,  but  if  you'd  rather  — 

"  I'd  rather  have  it  just  as  you've  made  it,  Molly," 


132  THE    CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

he  said,  in  a  singularly  gentle,  unsteady  tone.  He 
raised  the  cup,  and  sipped.  "  Delicious,  Molly !  — 
Hah !  Your  mistress  thinks  my  tea-drinking  days 
will  soon  be  over." 

"  I'm  very  sorry,  sir." 

"  So  am  I."  He  held  the  cup  in  his  left  hand, 
supporting  his  upright  body  with  his  right  arm,  and 
looked  rather  at  vacancy  than  at  the  maid.  "  Never 
to  drink  tea  again,"  he  said,  "  or  wine  or  spirits,  for 
that  matter !  To  close  your  eyes  on  this  fine  world  ! 
Never  again  to  ride  after  the  hounds,  or  sing,  or 
laugh,  or  chuck  a  pretty  girl  under  the  chin  !  " 

And  here,  having  set  down  the  cup,  he  chucked 
Molly  herself  under  the  chin,  pretending  a  gaiety  he 
did  not  feel. 

"  Never  again,"  he  went  on,  "  to  lead  a  charge 
against  the  enemies  of  our  liberty ;  not  to  live  to  see 
this  fight  out,  the  King's  regiments  driven  from  the 
land,  the  States  take  their  place  among  the  free 
nations  of  the  world !  By  God,  Molly,  I  don't  want 
to  die  yet  !  " 

It  was  not  the  fear  of  death,  it  was  the  love  of 
life,  and  what  life  might  have  in  reserve,  that  moved 
him ;  and  it  now  asserted  itself  in  him  with  a  force 
tenfold  greater  than  ever  before.  Death,  —  or,  rather, 
the  ceasing  of  life,  —  as  he  viewed  it  now,  when  he 
was  like  to  meet  it  without  company,  with  prescribed 
preliminaries,  in  an  ignominious  mode,  was  a  far 


THE    ONE    CHANCE.  133 

other  thing  than  as  viewed  in  the  exaltation  of  bat- 
tle, when  a  man  chances  it  hot-headed,  uplifted, 
thrilled,  in  gallant  comradeship,  to  his  own  fate 
rendered  careless  by  a  sense  of  his  nothingness  in 
comparison  with  the  whole  vast  drama.  Moreover, 
in  going  blithely  to  possible  death  in  open  fight,  one 
accomplishes  something  for  his  cause ;  not  so,  going 
unwillingly  to  certain  death  on  an  enemy's  gallows. 
It  was,  too,  an  exasperating  thought  that  he  should  die 
to  gratify  the  vengeful  whim  of  an  insolent  Tory  girl. 
"  Will  it  really  come  to  that  ? "  asked  Molly,  in  a 
frightened  tone. 

"  As  surely  as  I  fall  into  British  hands  !  " 
Peyton  remembered  the  case  of  General  Charles 
Lee,  whose  resignation  of  half-pay  had  not  been  ac- 
knowledged ;  who  was,  when  captured  by  the  British, 
long  in  danger  of  hanging,  and  who  was  finally  rated 
as  an  ordinary  war  prisoner  only  for  Washington's 
threat  to  retaliate  on  five  Hessian  field  officers.  If 
a  major-general,  whose  desertion,  even  if  admitted, 
was  from  half-pay  only,  would  have  been  hanged 
without  ceremony  but  for  General  Howe's  fear  of  a 
"law  scrape,"  and  had  been  saved  from  shipment  to 
England  for  trial,  only  by  the  King's  fear  that  Wash- 
ington's retaliation  would  disaffect  the  Hessian  allies, 
for  what  could  a  mere  captain  look,  who  had  come 
over  from  the  enemy  in  action,  and  whose  punish- 
ment would  entail  no  official  retaliation  ? 


134  THE    CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

"And  your  mistress  expects  a  troop  of  British 
soldiers  here  in  an  hour  to  take  me  !  Damn  it,  if  I 
could  only  walk !  "  And  he  looked  rapidly  around 
the  room,  in  a  kind  of  distraction,  as  if  seeking  some 
means  of  escape.  Realizing  the  futility  of  this,  he 
sighed  dismally,  and  drank  the  remainder  of  the  tea. 

"  You  couldn't  get  away  from  the  house,  sir,"  said 
Molly.  "Williams  is  watching  outside." 

"  I'd  take  a  chance  if  I  could  only  run  !  "  Peyton 
muttered.  He  had  no  fear  that  Molly  would  betray 
him.  "  If  there  were  some  hiding-place  I  might 
crawl  to  !  But  the  troops  would  search  every  cranny 
about  the  house."  He  turned  to  Molly  suddenly, 
seeing,  in  his  desperate  state  and  his  lack  of  time, 
but  one  hope.  "  I  wonder,  could  Williams  be  bribed 
to  spirit  me  away  ? " 

Molly's  manner  underwent  a  slight  chill. 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  she.  "  He'd  die  before  he'd  dis- 
obey Miss  Elizabeth.  We  all  would,  sir.  I'm  very 
sorry,  indeed,  sir."  Whereupon,  taking  up  the 
empty  bowl  and  teacup,  she  hastened  from  the 
room. 

Peyton  sat  listening  to  the  clock-ticks.  He  moved 
his  right  leg  so  that  the  foot  rested  on  the  floor,  then 
tried  to  move  the  left  one  after  it,  using  his  hand  to 
guide  it.  With  great  pains  and  greater  pain,  he 
finally  got  the  left  foot  beside  the  right.  He  then 
undertook  to  stand,  but  the  effort  cost  him  such 


THE   ONE   CHANCE.  135 

physical  agony  as  could  not  be  borne  for  any  length 
of  time.  He  fell  back  with  a  groan  to  the  sofa,  con- 
vinced that  the  wounded  leg  was  not  only,  for  the 
time,  useless  itself,  but  also  an  impediment  to  what- 
ever service  the  other  leg  might  have  rendered  alone. 
But  he  remained  sitting  up,  his  right  foot  on  the 
floor. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  raucous  sound  from  old  Mr. 
Valentine.  He  had  at  last  begun  to  snore.  But 
this  infliction  brought  its  own  remedy,  for  when  his 
jaws  opened  wider  his  tobacco  pipe  fell  from  his 
mouth  and  struck  his  folded  hands.  He  awoke  with 
a  start,  and  blinked  wonderingly  at  Peyton,  whose 
face,  turned  towards  the  old  man,  still  wore  the  look 
of  disapproval  evoked  by  the  momentary  snoring. 

"  Still  here,  eh  ? "  piped  Mr.  Valentine.  "  I  dreamt 
you  were  being  hanged  to  the  fireplace,  like  a  pig  to 
be  smoked.  I  was  quite  upset  over  it !  Such  a  fine 
young  gentleman,  and  one  of  Harry  Lee's  officers, 
too ! " 

And  the  old  man  shook  his  head  deploringly. 

"  Then  why  don't  you  help  me  out  of  this  ? "  de- 
manded Peyton,  whose  impulse  was  for  grasping  at 
straws,  for  he  thought  of  black  Sam  urging  Cato 
through  the  wind  towards  King's  Bridge  at  a 
gallop. 

"  It  ain't  possible,"  said  Valentine,  phlegmatically. 

"  If  it  were,  would  you  ?  "  asked  Harry,  a  spark  of 


136  THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

hope  igniting  from  the  appearance  that  the  old  man 
was,  at  least,  not  antagonistic  to  him. 

"  Why,  yes,"    began   the    octogenarian,  placidly. 

Harry's  heart  bounded. 

"  If,"  the  old  man  went  on,  "  I  could  without 
lending  aid  to  the  King's  enemies.  But  you  see  I 
couldn't.  I  won't  lend  aid  to  neither  side's  enemies.7 
I  don't  want  to  die  afore  my  time."  And  he  gazed 
complacently  at  the  fire. 

Peyton  knew  the  hopeless  immovability  of  selfish 
old  age. 

"  God !  "  he  muttered,  in  despair.  "  Is  there  no 
one  I  can  turn  to  ?  " 

"There's  none  within  hearing  would  dare  go 
against  the  orders  of  Miss  Elizabeth,"  said  Mr. 
Valentine. 

"  Miss  Elizabeth  evidently  rules  with  a  firm  hand," 
said  Peyton,  bitterly.  "Her  word  —  "  He  stopped 
suddenly,  as  if  struck  by  a  new  thought.  "  If  I 
could  but  move  her!  If  I  could  make  her  change 
her  mind ! " 

"  You  couldn't.  No  one  ever  could,  and  as  for  a 
rebel  soldier  —  " 

"  She  has  a  heart  of  iron,  that  girl ! "  broke  in 
Peyton.  "The  cruelty  of  a  savage!" 

Mr.  Valentine  took  on  a  sincerely  deprecating 
look.  "Oh,  you  mustn't  abuse  Miss  Elizabeth," 
said  he.  "  It  ain't  cruelty,  it's  only  proper  pride. 


THE   OXE   CHANCE.  137 

And  she  isn't  hard.     She  has  the  kindest  heart, 

to  those  she's  fond  of." 

"To  those  she's  fond  of,"  repeated  Harry,  mechan- 
ically. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  old  man  ;  "  her  people,  her  horses, 
her  dogs  and  cats,  and  even  her  servants  and  slaves." 

"  Tender  creature,  who  has  a  heart  for  a  dog  and 
not  for  a  man  !  " 

The  old  man's  loyalty  to  three  generations  of 
Philipses  made  him  a  stubborn  defender,  and  he 
answered  : 

"  She'd  have  no  less  a  heart  for  a  man  if  she 
loved  him." 

"  If  she  loved  him  ! "  echoed  Peyton,  and  began  to 
think. 

"Ay,  and  a  thousand  times  more  heart,  loving 
him  as  a  woman  loves  a  man."  Mr.  Valentine 
spoke  knowingly,  as  one  acquainted  by  enviable 
experience  with  the  measure  of  such  love. 

"As  a  woman  loves  a  man!"  repeated  Peyton. 
Suddenly  he  turned  to  Valentine.  "Tell  me,  does 
she  love  any  man  so,  now  ? "  Peyton  did  not  know 
the  relation  in  which  Elizabeth  and  Major  Golden 
stood  to  each  other. 

"  I  can't  say  she  loves  one,"  replied  Valentine, 
judicially,  "though  — 

But  Peyton  had  heard  enough. 

"  By    heaven,    I'll    try    it  !  "    he    cried.       "  Such 


138  THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

miracles  have  happened !  And  I  have  almost  an 
hour!" 

Old  Valentine  blinked  at  him,  with  stupid  lack  of 
perception.  "  What  is  it,  sir  ?  " 

"I  shall  try  it!"  was  Peyton's  unenlightening 
answer.  "There's  one  chance.  And  you  can  help 
me!" 

"  The  devil  I  can !  "  replied  Valentine,  rising 
from  his  chair  in  some  annoyance.  "  I  won't  lend 
aid,  I  tell  you  !  " 

"  It  won't  be  '  lending  aid.'  All  I  beg  is  that  you 
ask  Miss  Elizabeth  to  see  me  alone  at  once,  —  and 
that  you'll  forget  all  I've  said  to  you.  Don't  stand 
staring !  For  Christ's  sake,  go  and  ask  her  to  come 
in !  Don't  you  know  ?  Only  an  hour,  —  less  than 
that,  now !  " 

"  But  she  mayn't  come  here  for  the  asking," 
objected  the  old  man,  somewhat  dazed  by  Peyton's 
petulance. 

"  She  must  come  here  !  "  cried  Harry.  "  Induce 
her,  beg  her,  entice  her!  Tell  her  I  have  a  last 
request  to  make  of  my  jailer,  —  no,  excite  her  curi- 
osity ;  tell  her  I  have  a  confession  to  make,  a  plot  to 
disclose,  —  anything !  In  heaven's  name,  go  and 
send  her  here !  " 

It  was  easier  to  comply  with  so  light  a  request 
than  to  remain  recipient  of  such  torrent-like  impor- 
tunity. "I'll  try,  sir,"  said  the  peace-loving  old 


THE    ONE    CHANCE.  139 

man,  "but  I  have  no  hope,"  and  he  hobbled  from 
the  room.  He  left  the  door  open  as  he  went,  and 
Harry,  tortured  by  impatience,  heard  him  shuffling 
over  the  hall  floor  to  the  dining-room. 

Peyton's  mind  was  in  a  whirl.  He  glanced  at  the 
clock.  These  were  his  thoughts  : 

"  Fifty  minutes !  To  make  a  woman  love  me ! 
A  proud  woman,  vain  and  wilful,  who  hates  our 
cause,  who  detests  me !  To  make  her  love  me ! 
How  shall  I  begin  ?  Keep  your  wits  now,  Harry, 
my  son,  —  'tis  for  your  life !  How  to  begin  ?  Why 
doesn't  she  come?  Damn  the  clock,  how  loud  it 
ticks !  I  feel  each  tick.  No,  'tis  my  heart  I  feel. 
My  God,  will  she  not  come?  And  the  time  is 
going  - 

"  Well,  sir,  what  is  it  ? " 

He  looked  from  the  clock  to  the  doorway,  where 
stood  Elizabeth. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    FLIGHT    OF    THE    MINUTES. 

THE  silence  of  her  entrance  was  from  her  having, 
a  few  minutes  earlier,  exchanged  her  riding-boots 
for  satin  slippers. 

"I  —  I  thank  you  for  coming,  madam,"  said 
Peyton,  feeling  the  necessity  of  a  prompt  reply  to 
her  imperious  look  of  inquiry,  yet  without  a  practica- 
ble idea  in  his  head.  "  I  had  —  that  is  —  a  request 
to  make." 

He  was  trembling  violently,  not  from  fear,  but 
from  that  kind  of  agitation  which  often  precedes  the 
undertaking  of  a  critical  task,  as  when  a  suppliant 
awaits  an  important  interview,  or  an  actor  assumes 
for  the  first  time  a  new  part. 

"  Mr.  Valentine  said  a  confession,"  said  Elizabeth, 
holding  him  in  a  coldly  resentful  gaze. 

"  Why,  yes,  a  confession,"  said  he,  hopelessly. 

"  A  plot  to  disclose,"  she  added,  with  sharp  impa- 
tience. "  What  is  it  ? " 

"You  shall  hear,"  he  began,  in  gloomy  despera- 
tion, without  the  faintest  knowledge  of  how  he  should 

140 


THE  FLIGHT  OF  THE  MINUTES.  14! 

finish.  "I  —  ah  —  it  is  this  —  "  His  wandering 
glance  fell  on  the  table  and  the  writing  materials  she 
had  left  there.  "I  wish  to  write  a  letter  —  a  last 
letter  —  to  a  friend."  The  vague  general  outline  of 
a  project  arose  in  his  mind. 

Elizabeth  was  inclined  to  be  as  laconic  as  implac- 
able. "  Write  it,"  said  she.  "  There  are  pen  and 
ink." 

"  But  I  can't  write  in  this  position,"  said  Peyton, 
quickly,  lest  she  might  leave  the  room.  "I  fear  I 
can't  even  hold  a  pen.  Will  you  not  write  for 
me  ? " 

"  I  ?     Secretary  to  a  horse-thieving  rebel !  " 

"  It  is  a  last  request,  madam.  A  last  request  is 
sacred,  —  even  an  enemy's." 

"  I  will  send  in  some  one  to  write  for  you."  And 
she  turned  to  go. 

"  But  this  letter  will  contain  secrets." 

"  Secrets  ? "  The  very  word  is  a  charm  to  a  wom- 
an. Elizabeth's  curiosity  was  touched  but  slightly, 
yet  sufficiently  to  stay  her  steps  for  the  moment. 

"  Ay,"  said  Peyton,  lowering  his  tone  and  speaking 
quickly,  "  secrets  not  for  every  ear.  Secrets  of  the 
heart,  madam,  —  secrets  so  delicate  that,  to  convey 
them  truly,  I  need  the  aid  of  more  than  common  tact 
and  understanding." 

He  watched  her  eagerly,  and  tried  to  repress  the 
signs  of  his  anxiety. 


142  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

Elizabeth  considered  for  a  moment,  then  went  to 
the  table  and  sat  down  by  it. 

"But,"  said  she,  regarding  him  with  angry  sus- 
picion, "  the  confession,  —  the  plot  ? " 

"Why,  madam,"  said  he,  his  heart  hammering 
forcefully,  "  do  you  think  I  may  communicate  them 
to  you  directly?  The  letter  shall  relate  them,  too, 
and  if  the  person  who  holds  the  pen  for  me  pays 
heed  to  the  letter's  contents,  is  it  my  fault  ? " 

"  I  understand,"  said  the  woman,  entrapped,  and 
she  dipped  the  quill  into  the  ink. 

"  The  letter,"  began  Peyton,  slowly,  hesitating  for 
ideas,  and  glancing  at  the  clock,  yet  not  retaining  a 
sense  of  where  the  hands  were,  "is  to  Mr.  Bryan 
Fairfax  —  " 

"What?"  she  interrupted.  "Kinsman  to  Lord 
Fairfax,  of  Virginia  ?  " 

"There's  but  one  Mr.  Bryan  Fairfax,"  said  Peyton, 
acquiring  confidence  from  his  preliminary  expedient 
to  overcome  prejudice,  "and,  though  he's  on  the  side 
of  King  George  in  feeling,  yet  he's  my  friend, — a 
circumstance  that  should  convince  even  you  I'm  not 
scum  o'  the  earth,  rebel  though  you  call  me.  He's 
the  friend  of  Washington,  too." 

"  Poh !  Who  is  your  Washington  ?  My  aunt 
Mary  rejected  him,  and  married  his  rival  in  this  very 
room  1  " 

"And   a   good    thing   Washington   didn't    marry 


THE  FLIGHT  OF  THE  MINUTES.  143 

her!"  said  Peyton,  gallantly.  "She'd  have  tried 
to  turn  him  Tory,  and  the  ladies  of  this  family  are 
not  to  be  resisted." 

"  Go  on  with  your  letter,"  said  Elizabeth,  chillingly. 

" '  Mr.  Bryan  Fairfax,'  "  dictated  Peyton,  steadying 
his  voice  with  an  effort,  "  '  Towlston  Hall,  Fairfax 
County,  Virginia.  My  dear  Fairfax :  If  ever  these 
reach  you,  'twill  be  from  out  a  captivity  destined, 
probably,  to  end  soon  in  that  which  all  dread,  yet  to 
which  all  must  come;  a  captivity,  nevertheless, 
sweetened  by  the  divinest  presence  that  ever  bore 
the  name  of  woman  — ' 

Elizabeth  stopped  writing,  and  looked  up,  with  an 
astonishment  so  all-possessing  that  it  left  no  room 
even  for  indignation. 

Peyton,  his  eyes  astray  in  the  preoccupation  of 
composition,  did  not  notice  her  look,  but,  as  if  moved 
by  enthusiasm,  rose  on  his  right  leg  and  stood,  his 
hands  placed  on  the  back  of  the  light  chair  by  the 
sofa,  the  chair's  front  being  turned  from  him.  He 
went  on,  with  an  affectation  of  repressed  rapture: 
" '  'Twere  worth  even  death  to  be  for  a  short  hour 
the  prisoner  of  so  superb  — 

"  Sir,  what  are  you  saying  ? "  And  Elizabeth 
dropped  the  pen,  and  stood  up,  regarding  him  with 
freezing  resentment. 

"  My  thoughts,  madam,"  said  he,  humbly,  meeting 
her  gaze. 


144  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

"  How  dare  you  jest  with  me  ?  "  said  she. 

"Jest  ?  Does  a  man  jest  in  the  face  of  his  own 
death  ?  " 

"  'Twas  a  jest  to  bid  me  write  such  lies !  " 

"  Lies  ?  'Fore  gad,  the  mirror  yonder  will  not 
call  them  lies  !  "  He  indicated  the  oblong  glass  set 
in  above  the  mantel.  "  If  there  is  lying,  'tis  my  eyes 
that  lie !  'Tis  only  what  they  tell  me,  that  my  lips 
report." 

Keeping  his  left  foot  slightly  raised  from  the  floor, 
he  pushed  the  chair  a  little  towards  her,  and  himself 
followed  it,  resting  his  weight  partly  on  its  back, 
while  he  hopped  with  his  right  foot.  But  Elizabeth 
stayed  him  with  a  gesture  of  much  imperiousness. 

"  What  has  such  rubbish  to  do  with  your  confes- 
sion and  your  plot  ? "  she  demanded. 

"  Can  you  not  see  ? "  And  he  now  let  some 
of  his  real  agitation  appear,  that  it  might  serve  as 
the  lover's  perturbation  which  it  would  be  well  to 
display. 

"  My  confession  is  of  the  instant  yielding  of  my 
heart  to  the  charms  of  a  goddess." 

In  those  days  lovers,  real  or  pretended,  still  talked 
of  goddesses,  flames,  darts,  and  such. 

"  Who  desired  your  heart  to  yield  to  anything  ?  " 
was  Miss  Elizabeth's  sharply  spoken  reply. 

"Beauty  commanded  \\.,  madam  !"  said  he,  bowing 
low  over  his  chair-back. 


THE   FLIGHT  OF   THE  MINUTES.  145 

"  So,  then,  there  was  no  plot  ? "  Her  eyes  flashed 
with  indignation. 

"  A  plot,  yes  ! "  He  glanced  sidewise  at  the 
clock,  and  drew  self-reliance  from  the  very  situation, 
which  began  to  intoxicate  him.  "  My  plot,  to  attract 
you  hither,  by  that  message,  that  I  might  console 
myself  for  my  fate  by  the  joy  of  seeing  you!" 

"  The  joy  of  seeing  me ! "  She  spoke  with  in- 
credulity and  contempt. 

A  glad  boldness  had  come  over  Peyton.  He  felt 
himself  masterful,  as  one  feels  who  is  drunk  with 
wine ;  yet,  unlike  such  a  one,  he  had  command  of 
mind  and  body. 

"Ay,  joy,"  said  he,  "joy  none  the  less  that  you 
are  disdainful !  Pride  is  the  attribute  of  queens, 
and  tenderness  is  not  the  only  mood  in  which  a 
woman  may  conquer.  Heaven !  You  can  so  dis- 
comfit a  man  with  your  frowns,  wfiat  might  you  do 
with  your  smile  !  " 

He  felt  now  that  he  could  dissimulate  to  fool  the 
very  devil. 

But  Elizabeth,  though  interested  as  one  may  be  in 
an  oddity,  seemed  not  otherwise  impressed.  'Twas 
something,  however,  that  she  remained  in  the  room 
to  answer : 

"  I  do  not  know  what  I  have  done  with  my  frown, 
nor  what  I  might  do  with  my  smile,  but,  whatever  i 
be,  you  are  not  like  to  see  !  " 


146  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

"  That  I  know,"  said  Peyton,  and  added,  at  a  reck- 
less venture,  "  and  am  consoled,  when  I  consider  that 
no  other  man  has  seen  !  " 

"  How  do  you  know  that  ? " 

"Your  smile  is  not  for  any  common  man,  and  I'll 
wager  your  heart  is  as  whole  as  your  beauty." 

She  looked  at  him  for  a  moment  of  silence,  then  : 

"I  cannot  imagine  why  you  say  all  this,"  quoth 
she,  in  real  puzzlement. 

"'Tis  an  easing  to  the  tortured  heart  to  reveal 
itself,"  he  answered,  "as  one  would  fain  uncover  an 
inner  wound,  though  there  be  no  hope  of  cure.  I 
can  go  the  calmer  to  my  doom  for  having  at  least 
given  outlet  in  words  to  the  flame  kindled  in  a 
moment  within  me.  My  doom !  Yes,  and  none  so 
unwelcome,  either,  if  by  it  I  escape  a  lifetime  of  vain 
longing ! " 

"Your  talk  is  incomprehensible,  sir.  If  you  are 
serious,  it  must  be  that  your  head  is  turned." 

"  My  head  is  turned,  doubtless,  but  by  you  !  " 

He  was  now  assuming  the  low,  quick,  nervous 
utterance  that  is  often  associated  with  intense  re- 
pressed feeling  ;  and  his  words  were  accompanied  by 
his  best  possible  counterfeit  of  the  burning,  piercing, 
distraught  gaze  of  passion.  Though  he  acted  a  part, 
it  was  not  with  the  cold-blooded  art  of  a  mimic  who 
simulates  by  rule ;  it  was  with  the  animation  due  to 
imagining  himself  actually  swayed  by  the  feeling  he 


THE  FLIGHT  OF   THE  MINUTES.  147 

would  feign.  While  he  knew  his  emotion  to  be  fic- 
titious, he/?//  it  as  if  it  were  real,  and  his  consequent 
actions  were  the  same  as  if  real  it  were. 

"  I'm  sure  the  act  was  not  intentional  with  me," 
said  Elizabeth.  "  I'd  best  leave  you,  lest  you  grow 
worse."  And  she  moved  towards  the  door. 

Peyton  had  rapid  work  of  it,  pushing  the  chair 
before  him  and  hopping  after  it,  so  as  to  intercept 
her.  In  the  excitement  of  the  moment,  he  lost  his 
mastery  of  himself. 

"  But  you  must  not  go  !  Hear  me,  I  beg  !  Good 
God,  only  a  half  hour  left !  " 

"  A  half  hour  ?  "  repeated  Elizabeth,  inquiringly. 

"I  mean,"  said  Peyton,  recovering  his  wits,  "a 
half  hour  till  the  troops  may  be  here  for  me,  —  only 
a  half  hour  until  I  must  leave  your  house  forever! 
Do  not  let  me  be  deprived  of  the  sight  of  you  for 
those  last  minutes  !  Tis  so  short  a  time,  yet  'tis  all 
my  life!" 

"The  man  is  mad,  I  think!"  She  spoke  as  if 
to  herself. 

"  Mad !  "  he  echoed.  "  Yes,  some  do  call  it  a  mad- 
ness —  the  love  that's  born  of  a  glance,  and  lasts  till 
death !  " 

"  Love  !  "  said  she.  "  Tis  impossible  you  should 
come  to  love  me,  in  so  short  a  time." 

"  'Tis  born  of  a  glance,  I  tell  you !  "  he  cried. 
"  What  is  it,  if  not  love,  that  makes  me  forget  my 


148  THE    CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

coming  death,  see  only  you,  hear  only  you,  think  of 
only  you  ?  Why  do  I  not  spend  this  time,  this  last 
hour,  in  pleading  for  my  life,  in  begging  you  to  hide 
me  and  send  the  troops  away  without  me  when  they 
come  ?  They  would  take  your  word,  and  you  are  a 
woman,  and  women  are  moved  by  pleading.  Why, 
then,  do  I  not,  in  the  brief  time  I  have  left,  beg  for 
my  life  ?  Because  my  passion  blinds  me  to  all  else, 
because  I  would  use  every  moment  in  pouring  out 
my  heart  to  you,  because  my  feelings  must  have  out- 
let in  words,  because  it  is  more  than  life  or  death  to 
me  that  you  should  know  I  love  you !  —  God,  how 
fast  that  clock  goes !  " 

She  had  stood  in  wonderment,  under  the  spell  of 
his  vehemence.  Now,  as  he  leaned  towards  her, 
over  the  chair-back,  his  breath  coming  rapidly,  his 
eyes  luminous,  she  seemed  for  a  moment  abashed, 
softened,  subdued.  But  she  put  to  flight  his  momen- 
tary hope  by  starting  again  for  the  doorway,  with  a 
low-spoken,  "  I  must  go  !  " 

But  he  thrust  his  chair  in  her  way. 

"  Nay,  don't  go  !  "  he  said.  "  You  may  hear  my 
avowal  with  propriety.  My  people  are  as  good  as 
any  in  Virginia." 

She  stood  regarding  him  with  a  look  of  scrutiny. 

"  You  are  a  rebel  against  your  king,"  she  said, 
but  not  harshly. 

"  Is    not   the    King    soon    to    have   his  revenge  ? 


THE   FLIGHT  OF  THE  MINUTES.  149 

And  is  that  a  reason  why  you  should  leave  me 
now  ? " 

"  You  deserted  your  first  colors." 

"  'Twas  in  extraordinary  circumstances,  and  in  the 
right  cause.  And  is  that  a  reason  why  you  —  " 

"  You  took  my  horse." 

"  But  paid  you  for  it,  and  you  have  your  horse 
again.  Abuse  me,  madam,  but  do  not  go  from  me. 
Call  me  rebel,  deserter,  robber,  what  you  will,  but 
remain  with  me.  Denunciation  from  your  lips  is 
sweeter  than  praise  from  others.  Chastise  me, 
strike  me,  trample  on  me,  —  I  shall  worship  you 
none  the  less  !  " 

He  inclined  his  body  further  forward  over  the 
chair-back,  and  thus  was  very  near  her.  She  put 
out  her  hand  to  repel  him.  He  moved  back  with 
humility,  but  took  her  hand  and  kissed  it,  with  an 
appearance  of  passion  qualified  by  reverence. 

"  How  dare  you  touch  my  hand  ? "  And  she 
quickly  drew  it  from  him. 

"  A  poor  wretch  who  loves,  and  is  soon  to  die, 
dares  much  !  " 

"You  seem  resigned  to  dying,"  she  remarked. 

"  Have  I  not  said  'tis  better  than  living  with  a 
hopeless  passion  ? " 

"And  yet  death,"  she  said,  "that  kind  of  a 
death  is  not  pleasant." 

"  I'm  not  afraid  of  it,"  said  he,  wondering  how  the 


I5O  THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

minutes  were  running,  yet  not  daring  the  loss  of 
time  to  look.  "  'Tis  not  in  consigning  me  to  the 
enemy  that  you  have  your  revenge  on  me,  'tis  in 
making  me  vainly  love  you.  I  receive  the  greater 
hurt  from  your  beauty,  not  from  the  British  provost- 
marshal  !" 

"  Bravado  !  "  said  she. 

"Time  will  show,"  said  he. 

"  If  you  are  so  strong  a  man  that  you  can  endure 
the  one  hurt  so  calmly,  why  are  you  not  a  little 
stronger,  —  strong  enough  to  ignore  this  other  hurt, 
—  this  /0w-wound,  as  you  call  it  ? " 

She  blushed  furiously,  and  much  against  her  will, 
at  the  mere  word,  "love-wound."  Her  mood  now 
seemed  to  be  one  of  pretended  incredulity,  and  yet 
of  a  vague  unwillingness  that  the  man  should  be  so 
weak  to  her  charms. 

Peyton  conceived  that  a  change  of  play  might  aid 
his  game. 

"  By  heaven,"  he  cried,  "  I  will !  'Tis  a  weakness, 
as  you  imply  !  I  shall  close  my  heart,  vanquish  my 
feelings !  No  word  more  of  love !  I  defy  your 
beauty,  your  proud  face,  your  splendid  eyes !  I 
shall  die  free  of  your  image.  Go  where  you  will, 
madam.  It  sha'n't  be  a  puling  lover  that  the  British 
hang.  A  snap  o'  the  finger  for  your  all-conquering 
charms  !  —  why  do  you  not  leave  me  ?  " 

"  What !     Do  you  order  me  from  my  own  parlor  ? " 


THE  FLIGHT  OF  THE  MINUTES.  15! 

Hope  accelerated  Peyton's  heart  at  this,  but  he 
feigned  indifference. 

"  Go  or  stay,"  he  said  ;  "  'tis  nothing  to  me !  " 

"  You  rebel,  you  speak  like  that  to  me!  " 

Her  speech  rang  with  genuine  anger,  and  of  a 
little  hotter  quality  than  he  had  thought  to  raise. 

He  was  about  to  answer,  when  suddenly  a  sound, 
far  and  faint,  reached  his  ear.  "  Isn't  that  —  do  you 
hear  —  "  he  said,  huskily,  and  turning  cold. 

"  Horses  ?"  said  Elizabeth.  "  Yes,  —  on  the  road 
from  King's  Bridge." 

She  went  to  one  of  the  eastern  windows,  opened 
the  sash,  unfastened  the  shutter  without,  and  let  in 
a  rush  of  cold  air.  Then  she  closed  the  sash  and 
looked  out  through  the  small  panes. 

« ls  it  — "  said  Peyton,  quietly,  with  as  much 
steadiness  as  he  could  command,  "I  wonder  —  can 
it  be  —  " 

"  A  troop  of  rangers !  "  said  Elizabeth.  "  And 
Sam  is  with  them  ! "  She  closed  the  shutter,  and 
turned  to  Peyton,  her  face  still  glowing  with  the  re- 
sentment elicited  by  the  cavalier  attitude  he  had 
assumed  before  this  alarm.  "  Go  or  stay,  'tis  noth- 
ing to  you,  you  said!  The  last  insult,  Sir  Rebel 
Captain  !  "  and  she  made  for  the  door. 

"  You  mustn't  go  !  You  mustn't  go  !  "  was  the 
only  speech  he  could  summon.  But  she  was  already 
passing  him.  He  snatched  a  kerchief  from  her  dress, 


152  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

and  dropped  it  on  the  floor.  She  did  not  observe 
his  act.  "  Pardon  me !  "  he  cried.  "  Your  kerchief  ! 
You've  dropped  it,  don't  you  see?  " 

She  turned  and  saw  it  on  the  floor. 

Peyton  quickly  stepped  from  behind  his  chair, 
stooped  and  picked  up  the  kerchief,  kissed  it,  and 
handed  it  to  her,  then  staggered  to  his  former  sup- 
port, showing  in  his  face  and  by  a  groan  the  pain 
caused  him  by  his  movement. 

"  Your  wound  !  "  said  Elizabeth,  standing  still. 
"  You  shouldn't  have  stooped  !  " 

Harry's  pain  and  consequent  weakness,  added  to 
his  consciousness  of  the  rapidly  approaching  enemy, 
who  had  already  turned  in  from  the  main  road, 
gave  him  a  pallor  that  would  have  claimed  the 
attention  of  a  less  compassionate  woman  even  than 
Elizabeth. 

"  No  matter !  "  he  murmured,  feebly.  Then,  as  if 
about  to  swoon,  he  threw  his  head  back,  lost  his  hold 
of  the  chair-back,  and  staggered  to  the  spinet.  Lean- 
ing on  this,  he  gasped,  "  My  cravat  !  I  feel  as  if  I 
were  choking!  "  and  made  some  futile  effort  with  his 
hand  to  unfasten  the  neck-cloth.  "  Would  you,"  he 
panted,  "may  I  beg  —  loosen  it  ?  " 

She  went  to  his  side,  undid  the  cravat,  and  other- 
wise relieved  his  neck  of  its  confinement.  She  could 
not  but  meet  his  gaze  as  she  did  so.  It  was  a  gaze 
of  eager,  adoring  eyes.  He  feebly  smiled  his  thanks, 


THE   FLIGHT  OF  THE  MINUTES.  153 

and  spoke,  between  short  breaths,  the  words,  "The 
hour  —  I  love  you  —  yes,  the  troops  !  " 

The  horses  were  clattering  up  towards  the  house. 

A  voice  of  command  was  heard  through  the 
window. 

"  Halt !  Guard  the  windows  and  the  rear,  you 
four ! " 

"  Colden's  voice  !  "  exclaimed  Peyton. 

Elizabeth  was  somewhat  startled.  "  He  must 
have  been  still  at  King's  Bridge  when  Sam  arrived," 
said  she. 

"  He  must  be  a  close  friend,"  said  Peyton. 

"  He  is  my  affianced  husband." 

Peyton  staggered,  as  if  shot,  around  the  projection 
of  the  spinet,  and  came  to  a  rest  in  the  small  space 
between  that  projection  and  the  west  wall  of  the 
room.  "  Her  affianced  !  Then  it's  all  up  with  me  !  " 

The  outside  door  was  heard  to  open.  Elizabeth 
turned  her  back  towards  the  spinet  and  Peyton,  and 
faced  the  door  to  the  hall.  That,  too,  was  flung 
wide.  Peyton  dropped  on  his  right  knee,  behind  the 
spinet,  leaning  forward  and  stretching  his  wounded 
leg  out  behind  him,  just  as  Golden  rushed  in  at  the 
head  of  six  of  the  Queen's  Rangers,  who  were  armed 
with  short  muskets.  The  major  stopped  short  at 
sight  of  Elizabeth,  and  the  rangers  stood  behind  him, 
just  within  the  door.  Peyton  was  hidden  by  the 
spinet. 


154  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

"  Where  is  the  rebel,  Elizabeth  ?  "  cried  Golden. 

She  met  his  gaze  straight,  and  spoke  calmly,  with 
a  barely  perceptible  tremor. 

"  You  are  too  late,  Jack  !  The  prisoner  has  eluded 
me.  Look  for  him  on  the  road  to  Tarry  town,  — and 
be  quick  about  it,  for  God's  sake  !  " 

Golden  drew  back  aghast,  thrown  from  the  height 
of  triumph  to  the  depth  of  chagrin.  Peyton,  fearing 
lest  the  one  joyous  bound  of  his  heart  might  have 
betrayed  him,  remained  perfectly  still,  knowing  that 
if  any  movement  should  take  Elizabeth  from  between 
the  soldiers  and  the  projection  of  the  spinet,  or  if  the 
soldiers  should  enter  further  and  chance  to  look  under 
the  spinet,  he  would  be  seen. 

"Don't  you  understand?"  said  Elizabeth,  assum- 
ing one  impatience  to  conceal  another.  "  There's 
no  time  to  lose !  'Twas  the  rebel  Peyton !  He's 
afoot !  " 

"  The  road  to  Tarrytown,  you  say  ? "  replied  Col- 
den,  gathering  back  his  faculties. 

"  Yes,  to  Tarrytown  !  Why  do  you  wait  ? "  Her 
vehemence  of  tone  sufficed  to  cover  the  growing 
insupportability  of  her  situation. 

"  To  the  road  again,  men  !  "  Golden  ordered.  "  Till 
we  meet,  Elizabeth!"  And  he  hastened,  with  the 
rangers,  from  the  place. 

Peyton  and  Elizabeth  remained  motionless  till  the 
sound  of  the  horses  was  afar.  Then  Elizabeth  called 


"  '  YOU    ARE   TOO    LATE,   JACK  !  '  ' 


THE  FLIGHT  OF  THE  MINUTE.  155 

Williams,  who,  as  she  had  supposed,  had  come  into 
the  hall  with  the  rangers.  He  now  entered  the 
parlor.  Elizabeth,  whose  back  was  still  towards  Pey- 
ton, who  had  risen  and  was  leaning  on  the  spinet, 
addressed  the  steward  in  a  low,  embarrassed  tone,  as 
if  ashamed  of  the  weakness  newly  come  over  her. 

"  Williams,  this  gentleman  will  remain  in  the 
house  till  his  wound  is  healed.  His  presence  is  to 
be  a  secret  in  the  household.  He  will  occupy  the 
southwestern  chamber."  She  then  turned  and  spoke, 
in  a  constrained  manner,  to  Peyton,  not  meeting  his 
look.  "  It  is  the  room  your  General  Washington  had 
when  he  was  my  father's  guest." 

With  an  effort,  she  raised  her  eyes  to  his,  but 
shyly  dropped  them  again.  He  bowed  his  thanks 
gravely,  rather  shamefaced  at  the  success  of  his 
deception.  A  moment  later,  Elizabeth,  with  averted 
glance,  walked  quickly  from  the  room. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

THE    SECRET    PASSAGE. 

THE  steward  immediately  set  about  preparing  the 
designated  chamber  for  occupancy,  so  that  Peyton, 
on  being  carried  up  to  it  a  few  minutes  later,  found 
it  warm  and  lighted.  It  was  a  large,  square,  panelled 
apartment,  in  which  the  fireplace  of  1682  remained 
unchanged,  a  wide,  deep,  square  opening,  faced  with 
Dutch  tile,  of  which  there  were  countless  pieces, 
each  piece  having  a  picture  of  some  Scriptural  inci- 
dent. Into  this  fireplace,  where  a  log  was  burning 
crisply,  Peyton  gazed  languidly  as  he  lay  on  the  bed, 
his  clothes  having  been  removed  by  black  Sam,  who 
had  been  assigned  to  attend  him,  and  who  now  lay 
in  the  wide  hall  without.  Williams  had  taken  an- 
other look  at  the  wound,  and  expressed  a  favorable 
opinion  of  its  condition.  A  lighted  candle  was  placed 
within  Peyton's  reach,  on  a  table  by  the  bedside. 
Williams  had  brought  him,  at  Elizabeth's  orders, 
part  of  what  remained  from  the  general  supper. 
The  captain  felt  decidedly  comfortable. 

He  supposed  that  Golden,  after  abandoning  the 
false  chase,  would  make  another  call  at  the  house, 

156 


THE  SECRET  PASSAGE.  157 

but  he  inferred  from  Elizabeth's  previous  conduct 
that  she  could  and  would  send  the  Tory  major  and 
the  rangers  back  to  King's  Bridge  without  oppor- 
tunity of  discovering  her  guest.  And,  indeed,  Eliza- 
beth had  so  provided.  On  returning  to  the  dining- 
room  from  her  fateful  interview  with  Peyton,  she 
had  answered  the  astonished  and  inquisitive  looks  of 
Miss  Sally  and  Mr.  Valentine,  by  saying,  in  an  abrupt 
and  reserved  manner,  "  For  important  reasons  I  have 
chosen  not  to  give  the  prisoner  up.  He  will  stay  in 
the  house  for  a  time,  and  nobody  is  to  know  he  is 
here.  Please  remember,  Mr.  Valentine."  The  old 
man  tried  to  recall  Peyton's  words  in  asking  him  to 
send  Elizabeth  to  the  parlor,  and  made  a  mental 
effort  to  put  this  and  that  together ;  failing  in  which, 
he  decided  to  repeat  nothing  of  Peyton's  conversa- 
tion, lest  it  might  in  some  way  appear  that  he  had 
"lent  aid."  He  now  lighted  his  lantern,  and  sallied 
forth  on  his  long  walk  homeward  over  the  wind- 
swept roads.  Elizabeth,  who,  much  to  the  dismay 
of  her  aunt's  curiosity,  had  not  broken  silence  save 
to  give  orders  to  the  servants,  now  charged  Wil- 
liams to  stay  up  till  Golden  should  return,  and  to 
inform  him  that  all  were  abed,  that  there  was  no 
news  of  the  escaped  prisoner,  and  that  she  desired 
the  major  to  hasten  to  New  York  and  relieve  her 
family's  anxiety.  This  command  the  steward  exe- 
cuted about  midnight,  with  the  result  that  the 


158  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

major,  utterly  tired  out  and  sadly  disappointed,  rode 
away  from  the  manor-house  a  third  time  that  night, 
more  disgruntled  than  on  either  of  the  two  previous 
occasions.  By  this  time  the  house  was  dark  and 
silent,  Elizabeth  and  her  aunt  having  long  retired, 
the  latter  with  a  remark  concerning  the  effect  of  late 
hours  on  the  complexion,  a  hope  that  Mr.  Valentine 
would  not  fall  into  a  puddle  on  the  way  home,  and 
a  curiosity  as  to  how  the  rebel  captain  fared. 

The  rebel  captain,  afar  in  his  spacious  chamber, 
was  mentally  in  a  state  of  felicity.  As  he  ceased  to 
remember  the  conquered,  abashed  look  Elizabeth's 
face  had  last  worn,  he  ceased  to  feel  ashamed  of 
having  deceived  her.  Her  earlier  manner  recurred 
to  his  mind,  and  he  jubilated  inwardly  over  having 
got  the  better  of  this  arrogant  and  vengeful  young 
creature.  Even  had  she  been  otherwise,  and  had 
his  life  depended  on  tricking  her  with  a  pretence 
of  love,  he  would  have  valued  his  life  far  above  her 
feelings,  and  would  not  have  hesitated  to  practise 
on  her  a  falsehood  that  many  a  gentleman  has 
practised  on  many  a  maid  for  no  higher  purpose 
than  for  the  sport  or  for  the  testing  of  his  powers, 
and  often  for  no  other  purpose  than  the  maid's 
undoing  in  more  than  her  feelings.  How  much 
less,  then,  need  he  consider  her  feelings  when  he 
regarded  her  as  an  enemy  in  war,  of  whom  it 
was  his  right  to  take  all  possible  advantage  for 


THE  SECRET  PASSAGE.  159 

the  saving  of  his  own  or  any  other  American  sol- 
dier's  life !  These  thoughts  came  only  at  those 
moments  when  it  occurred  to  him  that  his  act 
might  need  justification.  But  if  he  thought  he 
was  entitled  to  avail  himself  of  these  excuses,  he 
deceived  himself,  for  no  such  considerations  had 
been  in  his  mind  before  or  during  his  act.  He 
had  proceeded  on  the  impulse  of  self-preservation 
alone,  with  no  further  thought  as  to  the  effect  on 
her  feelings  than  the  hope  that  her  feelings  would 
be  moved  in  his  behalf.  He  had  been  totally  selfish 
in  the  matter,  and  yet,  while  it  is  true  he  had  not 
stopped  to  reason  whether  the  act  was  morally 
justifiable  or  not,  he  had  felt  that  her  attitude 
warranted  his  deception,  or,  rather,  he  had  not 
felt  that  the  deception  was  a  discreditable  act,  as 
he  might  have  felt  had  her  attitude  been  kindlier. 
Even  had  he  possessed  any  previous  scruples  about 
that  act,  he  would  have  overcome  them.  As  it 
was,  the  scruples  came  only  when  he  thought  of 
that  new,  chastened,  subdued  look  on  her  face. 
Only  then  did  he  feel  that  his  trick  might  be  de- 
batable, as  to  whether  it  became  a  gentleman. 
Only  then  did  he  take  the  trouble  to  seek  justifi- 
able circumstances.  Only  then  did  he  have  a  dim 
sense  of  what  might  be  the  feelings  of  a  girl 
suddenly  stormed  into  love.  He  had  never  been 
sufficiently  in  love  to  know  how  serious  a  feeling 


I6O  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

—  serious  in  its  tremendous  potency  for  joy  or 
pain  —  love  is.  In  Virginia,  in  London,  and  in 
Ireland,  he  had  indulged  himself  in  such  little 
flirtations,  such  amours  of  an  hour,  as  helped  make 
up  a  young  gentleman's  amusements.  But  he  had 
long  been,  as  he  was  now,  heart-free,  and,  though 
it  occurred  to  him  that,  in  this  girl,  so  great  a 
change  of  mien  must  arise  from  a  pronounced 
change  of  heart,  he  had  no  thought  that  her  new 
mood  could  have  deep  root  or  long  life.  So,  less 
from  what  thoughts  he  did  have  on  the  subject 
than  from  his  absence  of  thought  thereon,  he  lapsed 
into  peace  of  mind,  and  went  to  sleep,  rejoicing  in 
his  security  and  trusting  it  would  last.  Her  face 
did  not  appear  in  his  dreams.  He  had  not  retained 
a  strong  or  accurate  impression  of  that  face.  His 
mind  had  been  too  full  of  other  things,  even  while 
enacting  his  impromptu  love-scene,  to  make  note 
of  her  beauty.  He  had  been  sensible,  of  course, 
that  she  was  beautiful,  but  there  had  not  been 
time  or  circumstance  for  flirtation.  He  had  not 
for  an  instant  viewed  her  as  a  possible  object  of 
conquest  for  its  own  sake.  She  had  been  to  him 
only  an  enemy,  in  the  shape  of  a  beautiful  young 
girl,  and  of  whom  it  had  become  necessary  to  make 
use.  And  so  his  dreams  that  night  were  made  up 
of  wild  cavalry  charges,  rides  through  the  wind, 
and  painful  crushings  and  tearings  of  his  leg. 


THE  SECRET  PASSAGE.  l6l 

Elizabeth's  thoughts  were  in  a  whirl,  her  feelings 
beyond  analysis.  She  was  sensible  mainly  of  a 
wholly  novel  and  vast  pleasure  at  the  adoration  so 
impetuously  expressed  for  her  by  this  audacious 
stranger,  of  a  pride  in  his  masterful  way,  of  ap- 
plause for  that  very  manner  which  she  had  rebuked 
as  insolence.  Was  this  love  at  last  ?  Undoubtedly  ; 
for  she  had  read  all  the  romances  and  plays  and 
poems,  and,  if  this  feeling  of  hers  were  a  thing  other 
than  the  love  they  all  described,  they  would  have 
described  such  a  feeling  also.  Because  she  had  never 
felt  its  soft  touch  before,  she  had  thought  herself 
exempt  from  it.  But  now  that  it  had  found  lodg- 
ment in  her,  she  knew  it  at  once,  from  the  very  fact 
that  in  a  flash  she  understood  all  the  romances  and 
plays  and  poems  that  had  before  interested  her  but 
as  mere  tales,  whose  motives  had  seemed  arbitrary 
and  insufficient.  Now  they  all  took  reality  and 
reason.  She  knew  at  last  why  Hero  threw  herself 
into  the  Hellespont  after  Leander,  why  all  that  com- 
motion was  caused  by  Helen  of  Troy,  why  Oriana 
took  such  trouble  for  Mirabel,  why  Juliet  died  on 
Romeo's  body,  why  Miss  Richland  paid  Honey- 
wood's  debts.  The  moon,  rushing  through  a  cleft 
in  the  clouds  (she  had  opened  one  of  the  shutters  on 
putting  out  the  candles),  had  for  her  a  sudden  beauty 
which  accounted  for  the  fine  things  the  poets  had 
said  of  it  and  love  together.  Yes,  because  it  opened 


1 62  THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

on  her  world  of  romance  a  magic  window,  letting  m 
a  wondrous  light,  waking  that  world  to  throbbing 
life,  clothing  it  with  indescribable  charm,  she  knew 
the  name  of  the  key  that  had  unlocked  her  own 
heart.  Now  she  knew  them  all,  —  the  heroes,  the 
fairy  princes,  the  knights  errant ;  perceived  that 
they  were  real  and  live,  recognized  their  traits  and 
manners,  their  very  faces,  in  that  bold,  free,  strong 
young  rebel ;  he  was  Orlando,  and  Lovelace,  and 
Prince  Charming,  and  ^Eneas,  and  Tom  Jones,  and 
King  Harry  the  Fifth,  and  young  Marlowe,  and  even 
Captain  Macheath  (she  had  read  forbidden  books 
guilelessly,  in  course  of  reading  everything  at  hand), 
and  Roderick  Random,  and  Captain  Plume,  and  all 
the  conquering,  gallant,  fine  young  fellows,  at  the 
absurd  weakness  of  whose  sweethearts  she  had 
marvelled  beyond  measure.  She  understood  that 
weakness  now,  and  knew,  too,  why  those  sweet- 
hearts had,  in  the  first  delicious  hours  of  their  weak- 
ness, trembled  and  dropped  their  eyes  before  those 
young  gentlemen.  For,  as  she  mentally  beheld  his 
image,  she  felt  her  own  cheeks  glow,  and  in  imag- 
ination was  fain  to  drop  her  own  eyes  before  his  bold, 
unquailing  look.  She  wondered,  with  confusion  and 
unseen  blushes,  how  she  would  face  him  at  their 
next  meeting,  and  felt  that  she  must  not,  could  not, 
be  the  one  to  cause  that  meeting.  Right  surely  had 
this  fair  castle,  that  had  withstood  many  a  long  siege, 


THE  SECRET  PASSAGE.  163 

fallen  now  at  a  single  onslaught,  and  that  but  a  sham 
onslaught.  The  haughty  princess  in  her  tower  had 
not  longed  for  the  prince,  but  the  prince  had  arrived, 
not  to  her  rescue,  but  to  the  taming  of  her.  And 
alas  !  the  prince,  whom  she  fondly  thought  her  lover, 
was  no  more  lover  of  her  than  of  the  picture  of  her 
female  ancestor  on  his  bedroom  wall ! 

She  gave  no  thought  to  consequences,  and,  as  for 
Jack  Golden,  she  simply,  by  power  of  will,  kept  him 
out  of  her  mind. 

It  was  three  days  before  Peyton  could  walk  about 
his  room,  and  two  days  more  before  he  felt  sufficient 
confidence  in  his  wounded  leg  to  come  down-stairs 
and  take  his  meals  with  the  household.  And  even 
then,  refusing  a  crutch,  he  used  a  stick  in  moving 
about.  During  the  five  days  when  he  kept  his  room, 
he  was  waited  on  alternately  by  Sam  and  Cuff,  who 
served  at  his  bath  and  brought  his  food ;  and  occa- 
sionally Molly  carried  to  him  at  dinner  some  belated 
delicacy  or  forgotten  dish.  Williams,  too,  visited 
him  daily,  and  expressed  a  kind  of  professional  sat- 
isfaction at  the  uninterrupted  healing  of  the  wound, 
which  the  steward  treated  with  the  mysterious  appli- 
cations known  to  home  surgery.  Williams  lent  his 
own  clean  linen  to  Harry,  while  Harry's  underwent 
washing  and  mending  at  the  hands  of  the  maid. 
Old  Valentine,  who  visited  the  house  every  day,  the 
weather  being  cold  and  sometimes  cloudy,  but  with- 


1 64  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

out  rain,  called  at  the  sick  chamber  now  and  then, 
and  filled  it  with  tobacco  smoke,  homely  philosophy, 
and  rustic  reminiscence.  Harry  had  no  other  visi- 
tors. During  these  five  days  he  saw  not  Elizabeth 
or  Miss  Sally,  save  from  his  window  twice  or  thrice, 
at  which  times  they  were  walking  on  the  terrace. 
In  daytime,  when  no  artificial  light  was  in  the  room 
to  betray  to  some  possible  outsider  the  presence  of 
a  guest,  he  had  the  shutters  opened  of  one  of  the 
two  south  windows  and  of  one  of  the  two  west  ones. 
Often  he  reclined  near  a  window,  pleasing  his  eyes 
with  the  view.  Westward  lay  the  terrace,  the  wide 
river,  the  leafy  cliffs,  and  fair  rolling  country  beyond. 
His  eye  could  take  in  also  the  deer  paddock,  which 
the  hand  of  war  had  robbed  of  its  inmates,  and 
the  great  orchard  northward  overlooking  the  river. 
Through  the  south  window  he  could  see  the  little 
branch  road  and  boat-landing,  the  old  stone  mill,  the 
winding  Neperan  and  its  broad  mill-pond,  and  the 
sloping,  ravine-cut,  wooded  stretch  of  country,  be- 
tween the  post-road  on  the  left  and  the  deep-set 
Hudson  on  the  right.  The  spire  of  St.  John's 
Church,  among  the  yew-trees,  with  the  few  edifices 
grouped  near  it,  broke  gratefully  the  deserted  aspect 
of  things,  at  the  left.  The  spacious  scene,  so  richly 
filled  by  nature,  had  in  its  loneliness  and  repose  a 
singular  sweetness.  Rarely  was  any  one  abroad. 
Only  when  the  Hessians  or  Loyalist  dragoons  pa- 


THE   SECRET  PASSAGE.  l6$ 

trolled  the  post-road,  or  when  some  British  sloop-of- 
war  showed  its  white  sails  far  down  the  river,  was 
there  sign  of  human  life  and  conflict.  The  deserted 
look  of  things  was  in  harmony  with  the  spirit  of  a 
book  with  which  Harry  sweetened  the  long  hours 
of  his  recovery.  It  was  a  book  that  Elizabeth  had 
sent  up  for  his  amusement,  called  "  The  Man  of  Feel- 
ing," and  there  was  something  in  the  opening  picture 
of  the  venerable  mansion,  with  its  air  of  melancholy, 
its  languid  stillness,  its  "  single  crow,  perched  on  an 
old  tree  by  the  side  of  the  gate,"  and  its  young  lady 
passing  between  the  trees  with  a  book  in  her  hand, 
that  harmonized  with  his  own  sequestered  state.  He 
liked  the  tale  better  than  the  same  author's  later 
novel,  "  The  Man  of  the  World,"  which  he  had  read 
a  few  years  before.  Every  day  he  inquired  about  his 
hostess's  health,  and  sent  his  compliments  and  thanks. 
He  was  glad  she  did  not  visit  him  in  person,  for  such 
a  visit  might  involve  an  allusion  to  their  last  previous 
interview,  and  he  did  not  know  in  what  manner 
he  should  make  or  treat  such  allusion.  He  felt  it 
would  be  an  awkward  matter  to  get  out  of  the 
situation  of  pretended  adorer,  and  he  was  for  put- 
ting that  awkward  matter  off  till  the  last  possible 
moment. 

It  was  necessary  for  him  to  think  of  his  return  to 
the  army.  Duty  and  inclination  required  he  should 
make  that  return  as  soon  as  could  be.  His  first  im- 


1 66  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

pulse  had  been  to  send  word  of  his  whereabouts  and 
condition.  But  as  Elizabeth  had  not  offered  a  mes- 
senger, he  was  loath  to  ask  for  one.  Moreover,  the 
messenger  might  be  intercepted  by  the  enemy's 
patrols  and  induced  by  fear  to  betray  the  message. 
Then,  too,  even  if  the  messenger  should  reach  the 
American  lines  uncaught,  a  consequent  attempt  to 
convey  a  wounded  man  from  the  manor  hall  to  the 
camp  might  attract  the  attention  of  the  vigilant 
patrols,  and  risk  not  only  Harry's  own  recapture,  but 
also  the  loss  of  other  men.  Decidedly,  the  best 
course  was  to  await  the  healing  of  his  wound,  and 
then  to  make  his  way  alone,  under  cover  of  night, 
to  the  army.  He  knew  that,  whatever  might  occur, 
it  was  now  Elizabeth's  interest  to  protect  him,  for 
should  she  give  him  up,  the  disclosure  that  she 
had  formerly  shielded  him  would  render  her  liable  to 
suspicion  and  ridicule.  He  felt,  too,  from  the  mani- 
festations he  had  seen  of  her  will  and  of  her  ingenu- 
ity, that  she  was  quite  able  to  protect  him.  So  he 
rested  in  security  in  the  quiet  old  chamber,  dreading 
only  the  task  of  taking  back  his  love-making.  Of 
that  task,  the  difficulty  would  depend  on  Elizabeth's 
own  conduct,  which  he  could  not  foresee,  and  that  in 
turn  on  her  state  of  heart,  which  he  did  not  exactly 
divine.  He  knew  only  that  she  had,  in  that  critical 
moment  of  the  troops'  arrival,  felt  for  him  a  tender- 
ness that  betokened  love.  Whether  that  feeling  had 


THE  SECRET  PASSAGE.  167 

flourished  or  declined,  he  could  not,  during  the  five 
days  when  they  did  not  meet,  be  aware. 

It  had  not  declined.  She  had  gone  on  idealizing 
the  confident  rebel  captain  all  the  while.  The  fact 
that  he  was  of  the  enemy  added  piquancy  to  the  senti- 
ments his  image  aroused.  It  lent,  too,  an  additional 
poetic  interest  to  the  idea  of  their  love.  Was  not 
Romeo  of  the  enemies  of  Juliet's  house  ?  The  fact 
of  her  being  now  his  protector,  by  its  oppositeness 
to  the  conventional  situation,  gave  to  their  relation 
the  charm  of  novelty,  and  also  gratified  her  natural 
love  of  independence  and  domination.  Yet  that 
very  love,  in  a  woman,  may  afford  its  owner  keen 
delight  by  receiving  quick  and  confident  opposition 
and  conquest  from  a  man,  and  such  Elizabeth's  had 
received  from  Peyton,  both  in  the  matter  of  the 
horse  and  in  that  of  his  successful  wooing.  But 
the  greater  her  softness  for  him,  the  greater  was  her 
delicacy  regarding  him,  and  the  more  in  conformity 
with  the  strictest  propriety  must  be  her  conduct 
towards  him.  Her  pride  demanded  this  tribute  of 
her  love,  in  compensation  for  the  latter's  immense 
exactions  on  the  former  in  the  sudden  yielding  to  his 
wooing.  Moreover,  she  would  not  appear  in  any- 
thing short  of  perfection  in  his  eyes.  She  would 
not  make  her  company  cheap  to  him.  If  she  had 
been  a  quick  conquest,  up  to  the  point  of  her  first 
token  of  submission,  she  would  be  all  the  slower  in 


1 68  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

the  subsequent  stages,  so  that  the  complete  yielding 
should  be  no  easier  than  ought  to  be  that  of  one 
valued  as  she  would  have  him  value  her.  All  this 
she  felt  rather  than  thought,  and  she  acted  on  it 
punctiliously. 

She  did  not  confide  in  her  aunt,  though  that  lady 
watched  her  closely  and  had  her  suspicions.  Yet 
there  was  apparent  so  little  warrant  for  these  suspi- 
cions, save  the  protection  of  the  rebel  in  itself,  that 
Miss  Sally  often  imagined  Elizabeth  had  other  rea- 
sons, reasons  of  policy,  for  the  sudden  change  of 
intention  that  had  resulted  in  that  protection.  Eliza- 
beth's conduct  was  always  so  mystifying  to  everybody ! 
And  when  this  thought  possessed  Miss  Sally,  she 
underwent  a  pleasing  agitation,  which  she  in  turn 
kept  secret,  and  which  attended  the  hope  that  per- 
haps the  handsome  captain  might  not  be  averse  to 
her  conversation.  She  had  both  read  and  observed 
that  the  taste  of  youth  sometimes  was  for  ripeness. 
She  might  atone,  in  a  measure,  for  Elizabeth's  dis- 
dain. She  would  have  liked  to  visit  him  daily,  with 
condolence  and  comfortings,  but  she  could  not  do 
so  without  previous  sanction  of  the  mistress  of  the 
house,  which  sanction  Elizabeth  briefly  but  very 
peremptorily  refused.  Miss  Sally  thought  it  a  cru- 
elty that  the  prisoner  should  be  deprived  of  what 
consolation  her  society  might  afford,  and  dwelt  on 
this  opinion  until  she  became  convinced  he  was 


THE  SECRET  PASSAGE.  169 

actually  pining  for  her  presence.  This  made  her 
poutish  and  reproachfully  silent  to  Elizabeth,  and 
sighful  and  whimsical  to  herself.  The  slightly 
strained  feeling  that  arose  between  aunt  and  niece 
was  quite  acceptable  to  Elizabeth,  as  it  gave  her 
freedom  for  her  own  dreams,  and  prohibited  any 
occasion  for  an  expression  of  feelings  or  opinions  of 
her  own  as  to  the  captain.  But  Miss  Sally's  symp- 
toms were  observed  by  old  Mr.  Valentine,  who, 
inferring  their  cause,  underwent  much  unrest  on 
account  of  them,  became  snappish  and  sarcastic 
towards  the  lady,  watchful  both  of  her  and  of 
Peyton,  and  moody  towards  the  others  in  the  house. 
It  was  the  old  man's  disquietude  regarding  the  state 
of  Miss  Sally's  affections  that  brought  him  to  the 
house  every  day.  For  one  brief  while  he  considered 
the  advisability  of  transferring  his  attentions  back 
from  Miss  Sally  to  the  widow  Babcock,  who  had 
possessed  them  first,  but,  when  he  tarried  in  the  par- 
sonage, his  fears  as  to  what  might  be  going  on  in  the 
manor-house  made  his  stay  in  the  former  intolerable, 
and  led  him  irresistibly  to  the  latter. 

Meanwhile  the  wounded  guest,  so  unconscious 
of  the  states  of  mind  caused  by  him  in  the  house- 
hold, was  the  evoker  of  nutters  in  yet  another  female 
breast.  The  girl,  Molly,  had  read  toilsomely  through 
"  Pamela,"  and  saw  no  reason  why  an  equally  attrac- 
tive housemaid  should  not  aspire  to  an  equally  high 


THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

destiny  on  this  side  of  the  ocean.  But,  often  as  she 
artfully  contrived  that  the  black  boy  should  forget 
some  part  of  the  guest's  dinner,  and  timely  as  she 
planned  her  own  visits  with  the  missing  portion, 
she  found  the  officer  heedless  of  her  smiles,  en- 
grossed sometimes  in  his  meal,  sometimes  in  his 
book,  sometimes  in  both.  She  conceived  a  loathing 
for  that  book,  more  than  once  resisted  a  temptation 
to  make  way  with  it,  and,  having  one  day  stolen  a 
look  into  it,  thenceforth  abominated  the  poor  young 
lady  of  it,  with  all  the  undying  bitterness  of  an 
unpreferred  rival. 

Though  Elizabeth  and  her  aunt  found  each  other 
reticent,  they  yet  passed  their  time  together,  break- 
fasting early,  then  visiting  the  widow  Babcock  or 
some  tenant,  dining  at  noon,  spending  the  early 
afternoon,  the  one  at  her  book  or  embroidery,  the 
other  in  a  siesta  before  the  fireplace,  supping  early, 
then  preparing  for  the  night  by  a  brisk  walk  in  the 
garden,  or  on  the  terrace,  or  to  the  orchard  and  back. 
Elizabeth  had  Williams  provided  with  instructions  as 
to  his  conduct  in  the  event  of  a  visit  from  King's 
troops,  and,  to  make  Peyton's  security  still  less 
uncertain,  she  confined  her  walks  to  the  immediate 
vicinity.  The  house  itself  was  kept  in  a  pretence 
of  being  closed,  the  shutters  of  the  parlor  being  skil- 
fully adjusted  to  admit  light,  and  yet,  from  the  road, 
appear  fast. 


THE  SECRET  PASSAGE.  I?I 

Thus  Elizabeth,  finding  enjoyment  in  the  very 
look  and  atmosphere  of  the  old  house,  fulfilled 
quietly  the  purpose  of  her  capricious  visit,  and  at 
the  same  time  cherished  a  dreamy  pleasure  such 
as  she  had  not  thought  of  finding  in  that  visit. 

On  the  fifth  day  after  Peyton's  arrival,  Williams 
announced  that  the  captain  would  venture  down- 
stairs on  the  morrow.  The  next  morning  Elizabeth 
waited  in  the  east  parlor  to  receive  him.  Whatever 
inward  excitement  she  underwent,  she  was  on  the 
surface  serene.  She  was  dressed  in  her  simplest, 
having  purposely  avoided  any  appearance  of  desiring 
to  appear  at  her  best.  Her  aunt,  who  stood  with  her, 
on  the  other  side  of  the  fireplace,  was  perceptibly 
flustered,  being  got  up  for  the  occasion,  with  rib- 
bons in  evidence  and  smiles  ready  for  production 
on  the  instant.  When  the  west  door  opened,  and 
the  awaited  hero  entered,  pale  but  well  groomed, 
using  his  cane  in  such  fashion  that  he  could  carry 
himself  erectly,  Elizabeth  greeted  him  with  formal 
courtesy.  Though  her  manner  had  the  repose 
necessary  to  conceal  her  sweet  agitation,  an  obser- 
vant person  might  have  noticed  a  deference,  a  kind 
of  meekness,  that  was  new  in  her  demeanor  towards 
men.  Peyton,  whose  mien  (though  not  his  feeling) 
was  a  reflex  of  her  own,  was  relieved  at  this  appear- 
ance of  indifference,  and  hoped  it  would  continue. 
His  mind  being  on  this,  the  stately  curtsey  and 


THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

profuse   smirks  of  Miss   Sally  were   quite  lost  on 
him. 

The  three  breakfasted  together  in  the  dining- 
room,  a  large  and  cheerful  apartment  whose  front 
windows,  looking  on  the  lawn,  were  the  middle 
features  of  the  eastern  fagade  of  the  house.  The 
mass  of  decorative  woodwork,  and  the  fireplace  in 
the  north  side  of  the  room,  added  to  its  impression 
of  comfort  as  well  as  to  its  beauty.  Conversation 
at  the  breakfast  was  ceremonious  and  on  the  most 
indifferent  subjects,  despite  the  attempts  of  Miss 
Sally,  who  would  have  monopolized  Peyton's  atten- 
tion, to  inject  a  little  cordial  levity.  After  breakfast 
Elizabeth,  to  avoid  the  appearance  of  distinguishing 
the  day,  took  her  aunt  off  for  the  usual  walk,  which 
she  purposely  prolonged  to  unusual  length,  much  to 
Miss  Sally's  annoyance.  Peyton  passed  the  morn- 
ing in  reading  a  new  play  that  had  made  great  talk 
in  London  the  year  before,  namely,  "The  School 
for  Scandal."  It  was  one  of  the  new  books  re- 
ceived by  Colonel  Philipse  from  London,  by  a  recent 
English  vessel,  —  plays  being,  in  those  days,  good 
enough  to  be  much  read  in  book  form,  —  and 
brought  out  from  town  by  Elizabeth.  The  dinner 
was,  as  to  the  attitude  of  the  participants  towards 
one  another,  a  repetition  of  the  breakfast.  In  the 
afternoon,  Peyton  having  expressed  an  intention  ot 
venturing  outdoors  for  a  little  air,  Elizabeth  as- 


THE   SECRET  PASSAGE.  173 

signed  Sam  to  attend  him,  and  said  that,  as  he  had 
to  traverse  the  south  hall  and  stairs  in  going  to  his 
room,  he  might  thereafter  put  to  his  own  service 
the  unused  south  door  in  leaving  and  entering  the 
house.  Harry  strolled  for  a  few  minutes  on  the 
terrace,  but  his  lameness  made  walking  little  pleas- 
ure, and  he  returned  to  the  east  parlor,  where 
Elizabeth  sat  reading  while  her  aunt  was  looking 
drowsily  at  the  fire.  Peyton  took  a  chair  at  the 
right  side  of  the  fireplace,  and  mentally  contrasted 
his  present  security  with  his  peril  in  that  place  on 
a  former  occasion. 

The  trampling  of  horses  at  a  distance  elicited 
from  Elizabeth  the  words,  "  The  Hessian  patrol,  on 
the  Albany  road,  as  usual,  I  suppose."  But,  the 
clatter  increasing,  she  arose  and  looked  through 
the  narrow  slit  whereby  light  was  admitted  between 
the  almost  closed  shutters.  After  a  moment  she 
said,  in  unconcealed  alarm : 

"Oh,  heaven!  'Tis  a  party  of  Lord  Cathcart's 
officers!  They  said  at  King's  Bridge  they'd  come 
one  day  to  pay  their  respects.  How  can  I  keep 
them  out?" 

Peyton  arose,  but  remained  by  the  fireplace,  and 
said,  "  To  keep  them  out,  if  they  think  themselves 
expected,  would  excite  suspicion.  I  will  go  to  my 
room." 

Elizabeth,  meanwhile,  had  opened  the  window  to 


174  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

draw  the  shutter  close ;  but  her  trembling  move- 
ment, assisted  by  a  passing  breeze,  and  by  the 
perversity  of  inanimate  things,  caused  the  shutter 
to  fly  wide  open. 

She  turned  towards  Peyton,  with  signs  of  fright 
on  her  face.  "Back!"  she  whispered.  "They'll 
see  you  through  the  window.  Into  the  closet,  — 
the  closet ! "  She  motioned  imperatively  towards 
the  pair  of  doors  immediately  beside  him,  west 
of  the  fireplace.  Hearing  the  horses'  footfalls  near 
at  hand,  and  perceiving,  with  her,  that  he  would 
not  have  time  to  walk  safely  across  the  parlor  to 
the  hall,  he  opened  one  of  the  doors  indicated  by 
her,  and  stepped  into  the  closet. 

In  the  instant  before  he  closed  the  door  after  him, 
he  noticed  the  stairs  descending  backward  from  the 
right  side  of  the  closet.  He  foresaw  that  the  British 
officers  would  come  into  the  parlor.  If  they  should 
make  a  long  stay,  he  might  have  to  change  his  posi- 
tion during  their  presence.  He  might  thus  cause 
sufficient  sound  to  attract  attention.  He  would  be 
in  better  case  further  away.  Therefore,  using  his 
stick  and  feeling  the  route  with  his  hand,  he  made 
his  way  down  the  steps  to  a  landing,  turned  to  the 
right,  descended  more  steps,  and  found  himself  in 
a  dark  cellar.  He  had  no  sooner  reached  the  last 
step  than  a  burst  of  hearty  greetings  from  above 
informed  him  the  officers  were  in  the  parlor. 


THE  SECRET  PASSAGE.  175 

This  part  of  the  cellar  being  damp,  he  set  out  in 
search  of  a  more  comfortable  spot  wherein  to  bestow 
himself  the  necessary  while.  Groping  his  way,  and 
travelling  with  great  labor,  he  at  last  came  into  a 
kind  of  corridor  formed  between  two  rolls  of  piled- 
up  barrels.  He  proceeded  along  this  passage  until 
it  was  blocked  by  a  barrel  on  the  ground.  On  this 
he  sat  down,  deciding  it  as  good  a  staying-place 
as  he  might  find.  Leaning  back,  he  discovered  with 
his  head  what  seemed  to  be  a  thick  wooden  parti- 
tion close  to  the  barrel.  Changing  his  position,  he 
bumped  his  head  against  an  iron  something  that  lay 
horizontally  against  the  partition;  and  so  violent  was 
this  collision  that  the  iron  something  was  moved 
from  its  place,  a  fact  which  he  noted  on  the  instant 
but  immediately  forgot  in  the  sharpness  of  his  pain. 

Having  at  last  made  himself  comfortable,  he  sat 
waiting  in  the  darkness,  thinking  to  let  some  time 
pass  before  returning  to  the  closet  stairway.  An 
hour  or  more  had  gone  by,  when  he  heard  a  door 
open,  which  he  knew  must  be  at  the  head  of  some 
other  stairway  to  the  cellar,  and  a  jocund  voice  cry : 
"  Damme,  we'll  be  our  own  tapsters !  Give  me  the 
candle,  Mr.  Williams,  and  if  my  nose  doesn't  pull  me 
to  the  barrel  in  one  minute,  may  it  never  whiff  spirits 
again  !  "  A  moment  later,  quick  footfalls  sounded 
on  the  stairs,  then  candle-light  disturbed  the  black- 
ness, and  Williams  was  heard  saying,  "  This  way, 


THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

gentlemen,  if  you  insist.  The  barrel  is  on  the 
ground,  straight  ahead."  Whereupon  Peyton  saw 
two  merry  young  Englishmen  enter  the  very  passage 
at  whose  end  he  sat,  one  bearing  the  candle,  both 
followed  by  the  steward,  who  carried  a  spigot  and  a 
huge  jug. 

Harry  instantly  divined  the  cause  of  this  intrusion. 
The  servants  were  busy  preparing  refreshments  for 
the  officers,  and,  in  a  spirit  of  gaiety,  these  two 
had  volunteered  to  help  Williams  fetch  the  liquor 
which  he,  not  knowing  Harry's  whereabouts,  was 
about  to  draw  from  the  barrel  on  which  Harry  sat. 

It  was  not  Elizabeth  who  could  save  him  from 
discovery  now. 

The  officers  came  groping  towards  him  up  the 
narrow  passage. 

Before  the  candle-light  reached  him,  he  rose  and 
got  behind  the  barrel,  there  being  barely  room  for 
his  legs  between  it  and  the  partition.  He  had,  in 
dressing  for  the  day,  put  on  his  scabbard  and  his 
broken  sword.  He  now  took  his  stick  in  his  left 
hand,  and  drew  his  sword  with  his  right.  He  set 
his  teeth  hard  together,  thought  of  nothing  at  all,  or 
rather  of  everything  at  once,  and  waited. 

"  Hear  the  rats,"  said  one  of  the  Englishmen.  It 
was  Peyton's  stealthy  movement  he  had  heard. 

"Ay,  sir,  there's  often  a  terrible  scampering  of 
'em,"  said  Williams. 


THE  SECRET  PASSAGE.  177 

"Maybe  I  can  pink  a  rat  or  two,"  said  the  officer 
without  the  candle,  and  drew  his  sword.  Harry 
braced  himself  rapidly  against  the  woodwork  at  his 
back.  The  candle-light  touched  the  barrel. 

At  that  instant  Harry  felt  the  woodwork  give  way 
behind  him,  and  fell  on  his  back  on  the  ground. 

"What's  that?"  cried  the  officer  with  the  candle, 
standing  still. 

"  'Tis  the  scampering  of  the  rats,  of  course,"  said 
the  other. 

Harry  had  apprehended,  by  this  time,  that  the 
supposed  wooden  partition  was  in  reality  a  door  in 
the  cellar  wall.  He  now  pushed  it  shut  with  his 
foot,  remaining  outside  of  it,  then  rose,  and,  feeling 
about  him,  discovered  that  his  present  place  was  in  a 
narrow  arched  passage  that  ran,  from  the  door  in 
the  cellar  wall,  he  knew  not  how  far.  Recalling  the 
bumping  of  his  head,  he  inferred  now  that  the  iron 
something  was  a  bolt,  and  that  his  blow  had  forced 
it  from  its  too  large  socket  in  the  stone  wall. 

He  proceeded  onward  in  the  dark  passage  for 
some  distance,  then  stopped  to  listen.  No  sound 
coming  from  the  door  he  had  closed,  he  decided  that 
the  officers  were  satisfied  the  noise  had  been  of  the 
rats'  making.  He  sheathed  his  broken  sword,  hav- 
ing retained  that  and  his  stick  in  his  fall,  and  went 
forward,  hoping  to  find  a  habitable  place  of  waiting. 
Soon  the  passage  widened  into  a  kind  of  subterranean 


1/8  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

room,  one  side  of  which  admitted  light.  Going  to 
this  side,  Harry  stopped  short  at  the  verge  of  a  well, 
on  whose  circumference  the  subterranean  chamber 
abutted.  The  light  came  from  the  well's  top,  which 
was  about  ten  feet  above  the  low  roof  of  the  under- 
ground room,  the  passage  from  the  cellar  being 
on  a  descent.  In  this  artificial  cave  were  wooden 
chests,  casks,  and  covered  earthen  vessels,  these  con- 
tents proclaiming  the  place  a  secret  storage-room 
designed  for  use  in  siege  or  in  military  occupation. 
Harry  waited  here  a  while  that  seemed  half  a  day, 
then  returned  through  the  passage  to  the  door,  in- 
tending to  return  to  the  cellar.  He  listened  at  the 
door,  found  all  quiet  beyond,  and  made  to  push  open 
the  door.  It  would  not  move.  From  the  feel  of 
the  resistance,  he  perceived  that  the  bolt  had  been 
pushed  home  again  —  as  indeed  it  had,  by  the  stew- 
ard, who  had  noticed  it  while  tapping  the  barrel,  and 
had  imputed  its  being  drawn  to  some  former  care- 
lessness of  his  own. 

Peyton,  finding  himself  thus  barred  into  the  sub- 
terranean regions,  was  in  a  quandary.  Any  alarm 
he  might  attempt,  by  shouting  or  pounding,  might 
not  be  heard,  or,  if  heard,  might  reach  some  tarrying 
British.  In  due  time,  Elizabeth  would  doubtless 
have  him  looked  for  in  the  closet  and  then  in  the 
cellar,  but,  on  his  not  being  found  there,  would  sup- 
pose he  had  left  the  cellar  by  one  of  the  other  stair- 


THE  SECRET  PASSAGE. 

ways.  Thus  he  could  little  hope  to  be  sought  for 
in  his  prison.  Williams  might  at  any  time  have 
occasion  to  visit  the  secret  storeroom,  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  he  might  not  have  such  occasion  for 
weeks.  Harry  groped  back  to  the  cave,  and  sought 
some  way  of  escape  by  the  well,  but  found  none. 

He  then  examined  the  cave  more  closely,  and 
came  finally  on  another  passage  than  that  by  which 
he  had  entered.  He  followed  this  for  what  seemed 
an  interminable  length.  At  last,  it  closed  up  in 
front  of  him.  He  tested  the  barrier  of  raw  earth 
with  his  hands,  felt  a  great  round  stone  projecting 
therefrom,  pushed  this  stone  in  vain,  then  clasped  it 
with  both  arms  and  pulled.  It  gave,  and  presently 
fell  to  the  ground  at  his  feet,  leaving  an  aperture 
two  feet  across,  which  let  in  light.  He  crawled  the 
short  length  of  this,  and  breathed  the  open  air  in  a 
small  thicket  on  the  sloping  bank  of  the  Hudson.8 
He  crept  to  the  thicket's  edge,  and  saw,  in  the  sun- 
set light,  the  river  before  him ;  on  the  river,  a 
British  war-vessel ;  on  the  vessel,  some  naval  officers, 
one  of  whom  was  looking,  with  languid  preoccupa- 
tion, straight  at  the  thicket  from  which  Harry 
gazed. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

THE    CONFESSION. 

"  WHAT  d'ye  spy,  Tom  ?  "  called  out  another  offi- 
cer on  the  deck,  to  the  one  whose  attitude  most 
interested  Harry. 

"  I  thought  I  made  out  some  kind  of  craft  steering 
through  the  bushes  yonder,"  was  the  answer. 

"I  see  nothing." 

"  Neither  do  I,  now.  'Twasn't  human  craft,  any- 
how,  so  it  doesn't  signify,"  and  the  officers  looked 
elsewhere. 

Harry  lay  low  in  the  thicket,  awaiting  the  depar- 
ture of  the  vessel  or  the  arrival  of  darkness.  On 
the  deck  there  was  no  sign  of  weighing  anchor. 
As  night  came,  the  vessel's  lights  were  slung.  The 
sky  was  partly  clear  in  the  west,  and  stars  ap- 
peared in  that  direction,  but  the  east  was  overcast, 
so  that  the  rising  moon  was  hid.  The  atmosphere 
grew  colder. 

When  Harry  could  make  out  nothing  of  the  vessel 
on  the  dark  water,  save  the  lights  that  glowed  like 
low-placed  stars,  he  crawled  from  the  bushes  and  up 

189 


THE   CONFESSION.  l8l 

the  bank  to  the  terrace.  He  then  rose  and  pro- 
ceeded, with  the  aid  of  his  stick,  aching  from  having 
so  long  maintained  a  cramped  position,  and  from  the 
suddenly  increased  cold.  Before  him,  as  he  con- 
tinued to  ascend,  rose  the  house,  darkness  outlined 
against  darkness.  No  sound  came  from  it,  no  win- 
dow was  lighted.  This  meant  that  the  British 
officers  had  left,  for  their  presence  would  have  been 
marked  by  plenitude  of  light  and  by  noise  of  merri- 
ment. Harry  stopped  on  the  terrace,  and  stood  in 
doubt  how  to  proceed.  What  had  been  thought  of 
his  disappearance  ?  Where  would  he  be  supposed 
to  have  gone  ?  Had  provision  been  made  for  his 
possible  return  ?  Perhaps  he  should  find  a  guiding 
light  in  some  window  on  the  other  side  of  the  house ; 
perhaps  a  servant  remained  alert  for  his  knock  on 
the  door.  His  only  course  was  to  investigate,  unless 
he  would  undergo  a  night  of  much  discomfort. 

As  he  was  about  to  approach  the  house,  he  was 
checked  by  a  sight  so  vaguely  outlined  that  it  might 
be  rather  of  his  imagination  than  of  reality,  and 
which  added  a  momentary  shiver  of  a  keener  sort 
than  he  already  underwent  from  the  weather.  A 
dark  cloaked  and  hooded  figure  stood  by  the  balus- 
trade that  ran  along  the  roof-top.  As  Peyton  looked, 
his  hand  involuntarily  clasping  his  sword-hilt,  and  the 
stories  of  the  ghosts  that  haunted  this  old  mansion 
shot  through  his  mind,  the  figure  seemed  to  descend 


1 82  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

through  the  very  roof,  as  a  stage  ghost  is  lowered 
through  a  trap.  He  continued  to  stare  at  the  spot 
where  it  had  stood,  but  nothing  reappeared  against 
the  backing  of  black  cloud.  Wondering  much,  Harry 
presently  went  on  towards  the  house,  turned  the 
southwest  corner,  and  skirted  the  south  front  as 
far  as  to  the  little  porch  in  its  middle.  Intending 
to  reconnoitre  all  sides  of  the  house  before  he  should 
try  one  of  the  doors,  he  was  passing  on,  after  a 
glance  at  the  south  door  lost  in  the  blacker  shadows 
of  the  porch,  when  suddenly  the  fan-window  over 
the  door  seemed  to  glow  dimly  with  a  wavering  light. 
He  placed  his  hand  on  one  of  the  Grecian  pillars  of 
the  porch,  and  watched.  A  moment  later  the  door 
softly  opened.  A  figure  appeared,  beyond  the  thresh- 
old, bearing  a  candle.  The  figure  wore  a  cloak  with 
a  hood,  but  the  hood  was  down. 

"All  is  safe,"  whispered  a  low  voice.  "The  offi- 
cers went  hours  ago.  I  knew  you  must  have  escaped 
from  the  house,  and  were  hiding  somewhere.  I  saw 
you  a  minute  ago  from  the  roof  gallery." 

Peyton  having  entered,  Elizabeth  swiftly  closed 
and  locked  the  door  behind  him,  handed  him  the 
candle  with  a  low  "Good  night,"  and  fled  silently, 
ghostlike,  up  the  stairs,  disappearing  quickly  in  the 
darkness. 

Harry  made  his  way  to  his  own  room,  as  in  a  kind 
of  dream.  She  herself  had  waited  and  watched  for 


THE   CONFESSION.  183 

him !  This,  then,  was  the  effect  wrought  in  the 
proudest,  most  disdainful  young  creature  of  her  sex, 
by  that  feeling  which  he  had,  by  telling  and  acting 
a  lie,  awakened  in  her.  The  revelation  set  him 
thinking.  How  long  might  such  a  feeling  last  ? 
What  would  be  its  effect  on  her  after  his  departure? 
He  had  read,  and  heard,  and  seen,  that,  when  these 
feelings  were  left  to  pine  away  slowly,  the  people 
possessing  them  pined  also.  And  this  was  the  return 
he  was  about  to  give  his  most  hospitable  hostess,  the 
woman  who  had  saved  his  life  !  Yet  what  was  to  be 
done  ?  His  life  belonged  to  his  country,  his  chosen 
career  was  war ;  he  could  not  alter  completely  his 
destiny  to  save  a  woman  some  pining.  After  all,  she 
would  get  over  it ;  yet  it  would  make  of  her  another 
woman,  embitter  her,  change  entirely  the  complexion 
of  the  world  to  her,  and  her  own  attitude  towards  it. 
He  tried  to  comfort  himself  with  the  thought  of  her 
engagement  to  Golden,  of  which  he  had  not  learned 
until  after  the  mischief  had  been  done.  But  he  re- 
called her  manner  towards  Golden,  and  a  remark  of 
old  Mr.  Valentine's,  whence  he  knew  that  the  engage- 
ment was  not,  on  her  side,  a  love  one,  and  was  not 
inviolable.  Yet  it  would  be  a  crime  to  a  woman  of 
her  pride,  of  her  power  of  loving,  to  allow  the  deceit, 
his  pretence  of  love,  to  go  as  far  as  marriage.  A  dis- 
closure would  come  in  time,  and  would  bring  her 
a  bitter  awakening.  The  falsehood,  natural  if  not 


1 84  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

excusable  in  its  circumstances,  and  broached  without 
thought  of  ultimate  consequence,  must  be  stopped  at 
once.  He  must  leave  her  presence  immediately,  but, 
before  going,  must  declare  the  truth.  She  must  not 
be  allowed  to  waste  another  day  of  her  life  on  an 
illusion.  Aside  from  the  effect  on  her  heart,  of  the 
continuance  of  the  delusion,  it  would  doubtless  affect 
her  outward  circumstances,  by  leading  her  to  break 
her  engagement  with  Golden.  An  immediate  dis- 
covery of  the  truth,  moreover,  by  creating  such  a 
revulsion  of  feeling  as  would  make  her  hate  him, 
would  leave  her  heart  in  a  state  for  speedy  healing. 
This  disclosure  would  be  a  devilishly  unpleasant 
thing  to  make,  but  a  soldier  and  a  gentleman  must 
meet  unpleasant  duties  unflinchingly. 

He  lay  a  long  time  awake,  disturbed  by  thoughts 
of  the  task  before  him.  When  he  did  sleep,  it  was 
to  dream  that  the  task  was  in  progress,  then  that  it 
was  finished  but  had  to  be  begun  anew,  then  that 
countless  obstacles  arose  in  succession  to  hinder 
him  in  it.  Dawn  found  him  little  refreshed  in  mind, 
but  none  the  worse  in  body.  He  found,  on  arising, 
that  he  could  walk  without  aid  from  the  stick,  and 
he  required  no  help  in  dressing  himself.  Looking 
towards  the  river,  he  saw  the  British  vessel  heading 
for  New  York.  But  that  sight  gave  him  little  com- 
fort, thanks  to  the  ordeal  before  him,  in  contem- 
plating which  he  neglected  to  put  on  his  sword 


THE   CONFESSION.  185 

and  scabbard,  and  so  descended  to  breakfast  without 
them. 

That  meal  offered  no  opportunity  for  the  dis- 
closure, the  aunt  being  present  throughout.  Im- 
mediately after  breakfast,  the  two  ladies  went  for 
their  customary  walk.  While  they  were  breasting 
the  wind,  between  two  rows  of  box  in  the  garden, 
Miss  Sally  spoke  of  Major  Colden's  intention  to 
return  for  Elizabeth  at  the  end  of  a  week,  and  said, 
"  'Twill  be  a  week  this  evening  since  you  arrived. 
Is  he  to  come  for  you  to-day  or  to-morrow  ? " 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Elizabeth,  shortly. 

"  But,  my  dear,  you  haven't  prepared  - 

"I  sha'n't  go  back  to-day,  that  is  certain.  If 
Golden  comes  before  to-morrow,  he  can  wait  for 
me,  —  or  I  may  send  him  back  without  me,  and 
stay  as  long  as  I  wish." 

"  But  he  will  meet  Captain  Peyton  - 

"  It  can  be  easily  arranged  to  keep  him  from 
knowing  Captain  Peyton  is  here.  I  shall  look  to 
that." 

Miss  Sally  sighed  at  the  futility  of  her  inquisitorial 
fishing.  Not  knowing  Elizabeth's  reason  for  saving 
the  rebel  captain,  she  had  once  or  twice  thought 
that  the  girl,  in  some  inscrutable  whim,  intended  to 
deliver  him  up,  after  all.  She  had  tried  frequently 
to  fathom  her  niece's  purposes,  but  had  never  got 
any  satisfaction. 


1 86  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

"I  suppose,"  she  went  on,  desperately,  "if  you  go 
back  to  town,  you  will  leave  the  captain  in  Williams's 
charge." 

"  If  I  go  back  before  the  captain  leaves,"  said 
Elizabeth,  thereby  dashing  her  amiable  aunt's  se- 
cretly cherished  hope  of  affording  the  wounded 
officer  the  pleasure  of  her  own  unalloyed  society. 

Elizabeth  really  did  not  know  what  she  would  do. 
Her  actions,  on  Colden's  return,  would  depend  on 
the  prior  actions  of  the  captain.  No  one  had  spoken 
to  Peyton  of  her  intention  to  leave  after  a  week's 
stay.  She  had  thought  such  an  announcement  to 
him  from  her  might  seem  to  imply  a  hint  that  it  was 
time  he  should  resume  his  wooing.  That  he  would 
resume  it,  in  due  course,  she  took  for  granted. 
Measuring  his  supposed  feelings  by  her  own  real 
ones,  she  assumed  that  her  loveless  betrothal  to 
another  would  not  deter  Peyton's  further  courtship. 
She  believed  he  had  divined  the  nature  of  that  be- 
trothal. Nor  would  he  be  hindered  by  the  prospect 
of  their  being  parted  some  while  by  the  war.  En- 
gagements were  broken,  wars  did  not  last  forever, 
those  who  loved  each  other  found  ways  to  meet. 
So  he  would  surely  speak,  before  their  parting,  of 
what,  since  it  filled  her  heart,  must  of  course  fill 
his.  But  she  would  show  no  forwardness  in  the 
matter.  She  therefore  avoided  him  till  dinner-time. 

At  the  table  he  abruptly  announced  that,  as  duty 


THE    CONFESSION.  1 87 

required  he  should  rejoin  the  army  at  the  first 
moment  possible,  and  as  he  now  felt  capable  of 
making  the  journey,  he  would  depart  that  night. 

Miss  Sally  hid  her  startled  emotions  behind  a 
glass  of  madeira,  into  which  she  coughed,  chokingly. 
Molly,  the  maid,  stopped  short  in  her  passage  from 
the  kitchen  door  to  the  table,  and  nearly  dropped 
the  pudding  she  was  carrying.  Elizabeth  concealed 
her  feelings,  and  told  herself  that  his  declaration 
must  soon  be  forthcoming.  She  left  it  to  him  to 
contrive  the  necessary  private  interview. 

After  dinner,  he  sat  with  the  ladies  before  the 
fire  in  the  east  parlor,  awaiting  his  opportunity 
with  much  hidden  perturbation.  Elizabeth  feigned 
to  read.  At  last,  habit  prevailing,  her  aunt  fell 
asleep.  Peyton  hummed  and  hemmed,  looked  into 
the  fire,  made  two  or  three  strenuous  swallows  of 
nothing,  and  opened  his  mouth  to  speak.  At  that 
instant  old  Mr.  Valentine  came  in,  newly  arrived 
from  the  Hill,  and  "  whew  "-ing  at  the  cold.  Peyton 
felt  like  one  for  whom  a  brief  reprieve  had  been  sent 
by  heaven. 

All  afternoon  Mr.  Valentine  chattered  of  weather 
and  news  and  old  times.  Peyton's  feeling  of  relief 
was  short-lasting  ;  it  was  supplanted  by  a  mighty 
regret  that  he  had  not  been  permitted  to  get  the 
thing  over.  No  second  opportunity  came  of  itself, 
nor  could  Peyton,  who  found  his  ingenuity  for  once 


1 88  THE    CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

quite  paralyzed,  force  one.  Supper  was  announced, 
and  was  partaken  of  by  Harry,  in  fidgety  abstrac- 
tion ;  by  Elizabeth,  in  expectant  but  outwardly  placid 
silence ;  by  Miss  Sally,  in  futile  smiling  attempts 
to  make  something  out  of  her  last  conversational 
chances  with  the  handsome  officer ;  and  by  Mr. 
Valentine,  in  sedulous  attention  to  his  appetite,  which 
still  had  the  vigor  of  youth. 

Almost  as  soon  as  the  ladies  had  gone  from  the 
dining-room,  Peyton  rose  and  left  the  octogenarian 
in  sole  possession.  In  the  parlor  Harry  found  no 
one  but  Molly,  who  was  lighting  the  candles. 

"  What,  Molly  ? "  said  he,  feeling  more  and  more 
nervous,  and  thinking  to  retain,  by  constant  use  of 
his  voice,  a  good  command  of  it  for  the  dreaded 
interview.  "  The  ladies  not  here  ?  They  left  Mr. 
Valentine  and  me  at  the  supper-table." 

"  They  are  walking  in  the  garden,  sir.  Miss  Eliza- 
beth likes  to  take  the  air  every  evening." 

"  'Tis  a  chill  air  she  takes  this  evening,  I'm 
thinking,"  he  said,  standing  before  the  fire  and  hold- 
ing out  his  hands  over  the  crackling  logs. 

"  A  chill  night  for  your  journey,"  replied  Molly. 
"  I  should  think  you'd  wait  for  day,  to  travel." 

Peyton,  unobservant  of  the  wistful  sigh  by  which 
the  maid's  speech  was  accompanied,  replied,  "  Nay, 
for  me,  'tis  safest  travelling  at  night.  I  must  go 
through  dangerous  country  to  reach  our  lines." 


THE   CONFESSION.  189 

"  It  mayn't  be  as  cold  to-morrow  night,"  persisted 
Molly. 

"  My  wound  is  well  enough  for  me  to  go  now." 

"  'Twill  be  better  still  to-morrow." 

But  Peyton,  deep  in  his  own  preoccupation, 
neither  deduced  aught  from  the  drift  of  her  remarks 
nor  saw  the  tender  glances  which  attended  them. 
While  he  was  making  some  insignificant  answer,  the 
maid,  in  moving  the  candelabrum  on  the  spinet,  acci- 
dentally brushed  therefrom  his  hat,  which  had  been 
lying  on  it.  She  picked  it  up,  in  great  confusion, 
and  asked  his  pardon. 

"  'Twas  my  fault  in  laying  it  there,"  said  he, 
receiving  it  from  her.  "  I'm  careless  with  my 
things.  I  make  no  doubt,  since  I've  been  here,  I've 
more  than  once  given  your  mistress  cause  to  wish 
me  elsewhere." 

"La,  sir,"  said  Molly,  "I  don't  think  —  any  one 
would  wish  you  elsewhere !  "  Whereupon  she  left  the 
room,  abashed  at  her  own  audacity. 

"  The  devil !  "  thought  Peyton.  "  I  should  feel 
better  if  some  one  did  wish  me  elsewhere." 

As  he  continued  gazing  into  the  fire,  and  his  task 
loomed  more  and  more  disagreeably  before  him,  he 
suddenly  bethought  him  that  Elizabeth,  in  taking  her 
evening  walk,  showed  no  disposition  for  a  private 
meeting.  Dwelling  on  that  one  circumstance,  he 
thought  for  awhile  he  might  have  been  wrong  in 


1 90  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

supposing  she  loved  him.  But  then  the  previous 
night's  incident  recurred  to  his  mind.  Nothing 
short  of  love  could  have  induced  such  solicitude. 
But,  then,  as  she  sought  no  last  interview,  might  he 
not  be  warranted  in  going  away  and  leaving  the  dis- 
closure to  come  gradually,  implied  by  the  absence 
of  further  word  from  him  ?  Yet,  she  might  be  pur- 
posely avoiding  the  appearance  of  seeking  an  inter- 
view. The  reasons  calling  for  a  prompt  confession 
came  back  to  him.  While  he  was  wavering  between 
one  dictate  and  another,  in  came  Mr.  Valentine,  with 
a  tobacco  pipe. 

Like  an  inspiration,  rose  the  idea  of  consulting  the 
octogenarian.  A  man  who  cannot  make  up  his  own 
mind  is  justified  in  seeking  counsel.  Elizabeth  could 
surfer  no  harm  through  Peyton's  confiding  in  this 
sage  old  man,  who  was  devoted  to  her  and  to  her 
family.  Mr.  Valentine's  very  words  on  entering, 
which  alluded  to  Peyton's  pleasant  visit  as  Eliza- 
beth's guest,  gave  an  opening  for  the  subject  con- 
cerned. A  very  few  speeches  led  up  to  the  matter, 
which  Harry  broached,  after  announcing  that  he  took 
the  old  man  for  one  experienced  in  matters  of  the 
heart,  and  receiving  the  admission  that  the  old  man 
had  enjoyed  a  share  of  the  smiles  of  the  sex.  But 
if  the  captain  had  thought,  in  seeking  advice,  to  find 
reason  for  avoiding  his  ugly  task,  he  was  disap- 
pointed. Old  Valentine,  though  he  had  for  some 


THE    CONFESSION.  IQI 

days  feared  a  possible  state  of  things  between  the 
captain  and  Miss  Sally,  had  observed  Elizabeth,  and 
his  vast  experience  had  enabled  him  to  interpret 
symptoms  to  which  others  had  been  blind.  "  She 
has  acted  towards  you,"  he  said  to  Peyton,  "as  she 
never  acted  towards  another  man.  She's  shown  you 
a  meekness,  sir,  a  kind  of  timidity."  And  he  agreed 
that,  if  Peyton  should  go  away  without  an  explana- 
tion, it  would  make  her  throw  aside  other  expecta- 
tions, and  would,  in  the  end,  "  cut  her  to  the  heart." 
Valentine  hinted  at  regrettable  things  that  had  en- 
sued from  a  jilting  of  which  himself  had  once 
been  guilty,  and  urged  on  Peyton  an  immediate 
unbosoming,  adding,  "  She'll  be  so  took  aback  and 
so  full  of  wrath  at  you,  she  won't  mind  the  loss  of 
you.  She'll  abominate  you  and  get  over  it  at  once." 

The  idea  came  to  Peyton  of  making  the  confession 
by  letter,  but  this  he  promptly  rejected  as  a  coward's 
dodge.  "  It's  a  damned  unpleasant  duty,  but  that's 
the  more  reason  I  should  face  it  myself." 

At  that  moment  the  front  door  of  the  east  hall 
was  heard  to  open. 

"It's  Miss  Elizabeth  and  her  aunt,"  said  Valen- 
tine, listening  at  the  door. 

"Then  I'll  have  the  thing  over  at  once,  and  be 
gone  !  Mr.  Valentine,  a  last  kindness,  —  keep  the 
aunt  out  of  the  room." 

Before  Valentine  could  answer,  the  ladies  entered, 


THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

their  cheeks  reddened  by  the  weather.  Elizabeth 
carried  a  small  bunch  of  belated  autumn  flowers. 

"  Well,  I'm  glad  to  come  in  out  of  the  cold  !  " 
burst  out  Miss  Sally,  with  a  retrospective  shudder. 
"  Mr.  Peyton,  you've  a  bitter  night  for  your  going." 
She  stood  before  the  fire  and  smiled  sympathetically 
at  the  captain. 

But  Peyton  was  heedful  of  none  but  Elizabeth, 
who  had  laid  her  flowers  on  the  spinet  and  was 
taking  off  her  cloak.  Peyton  quickly,  with  an  "  Allow 
me,  Miss  Philipse,"  relieved  her  of  the  wrap,  which 
in  his  abstraction  he  retained  over  his  left  arm  while 
he  continued  to  hold  his  hat  in  his  other  hand. 
After  receiving  a  word  of  thanks,  he  added,  "  You've 
been  gathering  flowers,"  and  stood  before  her  in 
much  embarrassment. 

"The  last  of  the  year,  I  think,"  said  she.  "The 
wind  would  have  torn  them  off,  if  aunt  Sally  and  I 
had  not."  And  she  took  them  up  from  the  spinet 
to  breath  their  odor. 

Meanwhile  Mr.  Valentine  had  been  whispering 
to  Miss  Sally  at  the  fireplace.  As  a  result  of  his 
communications,  whatever  they  were,  the  aunt  first 
looked  doubtful,  then  cast  a  wistful  glance  at  Pey- 
ton, and  then  quietly  left  the  room,  followed  by  the 
old  man,  who  carefully  closed  the  door  after  him. 

While  Elizabeth  held  the  flowers  to  her  nostrils, 
Peyton  continued  to  stand  looking  at  her,  during  an 


THE    CONFESSION.  1 93 

awkward  pause.  At  length  she  replaced  the  nosegay 
on  the  spinet,  and  went  to  the  fireplace,  where  she 
gazed  at  the  writhing  flames,  and  waited  for  him  to 
speak. 

Still  laden  with  the  cloak  and  hat,  he  desperately 
began  : 

"  Miss  Philipse,  I  —  ahem  —  before  I  start  on  my 
walk  to-night  — 

"  Your  walk  ?  "  she  said,  in  slight  surprise. 

"  Yes,  —  back  to  our  lines,  above." 

"  But  you  are  not  going  to  walk  back,"  she  said, 
in  a  low  tone.  "  You  are  to  have  the  horse,  Cato." 

Peyton  stood  startled.  In  a  few  moments  he 
gulped  down  his  feelings,  and  stammered : 

"  Oh  —  indeed  —  Miss  Philipse  —  I  cannot  think  of 
depriving  you  —  especially  after  the  circumstances." 

She  replied,  with  a  gentle  smile  : 

"  You  took  the  horse  when  I  refused  him  to  you. 
Now  will  you  not  have  him  when  I  offer  him  to  you  ? 
You  must,  captain !  I'll  not  have  so  fine  a  horse  go 
begging  for  a  master.  I'll  not  hear  of  your  walking. 
On  such  a  night,  such  a  distance,  through  such  a 
country !  " 

"  The  devil !  "  thought  Harry.  "  This  makes  it 
ten  times  harder  !  " 

Elizabeth  now  turned  to  face  him  directly.  "  Does 
not  my  cloak  incommode  you  ? "  she  said,  amusedly. 
"  You  may  put  it  down." 


IQ4  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

"  Oh,  thank  you,  yes  !  "  he  said,  feeling  very  red, 
and  went  to  lay  the  cloak  on  the  table,  but  in  his 
confusion  put  down  his  own  hat  there,  and  kept  the 
cloak  over  his  arm.  He  then  met  her  look  reck- 
lessly, and  blurted  out : 

-  "  The  truth  is,  Miss  Philipse,  now  that  I  am  soon 
to  leave,  I  have  something  to  —  to  say  to  you."  His 
boldness  here  forsook  him,  and  he  paused. 

"I  know  it,"  said  Elizabeth,  serenely,  repressing 
all  outward  sign  of  her  heart's  blissful  agitation. 

"  You  do  ? "  quoth  he,  astonished. 

"Certainly,"  she  answered,  simply.  "How  could 
you  leave  without  saying  it  ? " 

Peyton  had  a  moment's  puzzlement.  Then,  "  With- 
out saying  what  ?"  he  asked. 

"What  you  have  to  say,"  she  replied,  blushing 
and  lowering  her  eyes. 

"  But  what  have  I  to  say  ?  "  he  persisted. 

She  was  silent  a  moment,  then  saw  that  she  must 
help  him  out. 

"  Don't  you  know  ?  You  were  not  at  all  tongue- 
tied  when  you  said  it  the  evening  you  came  here." 

Peyton  felt  a  gulf  opening  before  him.  "  Good 
heaven,"  thought  he,  "she  actually  believes  I  am 
about  to  propose  !  " 

Now,  or  never,  was  the  time  for  the  plunge.  He 
drew  a  full  breath,  and  braced  himself  to  make  it. 

"  But  —  ah — you  see,"  said  he,  "  the  trouble  is,  — 


THE   CONFESSION. 

what  I  said  then  is  not  what  I  have  to  say  now. 
You  must  understand,  Miss  Philipse,  that  I  am 
devoted  to  a  soldier's  career.  All  my  time,  all  my 
heart,  my  very  life,  belong  to  the  service.  Thus  I 
am,  in  a  manner,  bound  no  less  on  my  side,  than 
you  —  I  beg  your  pardon  —  " 

"  What  do  you  mean  ? "  She  spoke  quietly,  yet 
was  the  picture  of  open-eyed  astonishment. 

"  Cannot  you  see  ?  "  he  faltered. 

"You  mean"  —  her  tone  acquired  resentment  as 
her  words  came  — "  that  I,  too,  am  bound  on  my 
side,  —  to  Mr.  Golden  ?  " 

"  I  did  not  say  so,"  he  replied,  abashed,  cursing 
his  heedless  tongue.  He  would  not,  for  much,  have 
reminded  her  of  any  duty  on  her  part. 

She  regarded  him  for  a  moment  in  silence,  while 
the  clouds  of  indignation  gathered.  Then  the  storm 
broke. 

"  You  poltroon,  I  do  see  !  You  wish  to  take  back 
your  declaration,  because  you  are  afraid  of  Colden's 
vengeance ! " 

"Afraid  ?  I  afraid  ?"  he  echoed,  mildly,  surprised 
almost  f,ut  of  his  voice  at  this  unexpected  inference. 

"Yes,  you  craven!"  she  cried,  and  seemed  to 
tower  above  her  common  height,  as  she  stood  erect, 
tearless,  fiery-eyed,  and  clarion-voiced.  "Your  cow- 
ardice outweighs  your  love  !  Go  from  my  sight  and 
from  my  father's  house,  you  cautious  lover,  with 


196  THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

your  prudent  scruples  about  the  rights  of  your  rival ! 
Heavens,  that  I  should  have  listened  to  such  a  cow- 
ard !  Go,  I  say !  Spend  no  more  time  under  this 
roof  than  you  need  to  get  your  belongings  from 
your  room.  Don't  stop  for  farewells !  Nobody 
wants  them  !  *  Go,  —  and  I'll  thank  you  to  leave  my 
cloak  behind  you  !  " 

Silenced  and  confounded  by  the  force  of  her  de- 
nunciation, he  stupidly  dropped  the  cloak  to  the 
floor  where  he  stood,  and  stumbled  from  the  room, 
as  if  swept  away  by  the  torrent  of  her  wrath  and 
scorn. 


"  '  GO,    I    SAY  1 


CHAPTER    X. 

THE    PLAN    OF    RETALIATION. 

IT  was  in  the  south  hall  that  he  found  himself, 
having  fled  through  the  west  door  of  the  parlor,  for- 
getful that  his  hat  still  remained  on  the  table.  He 
naturally  continued  his  retreat  up  the  stairs  to  his 
chamber.  The  only  belongings  that  he  had  to  get 
there  were  his  broken  sword,  his  scabbard,  and  belt. 
These  he  promptly  buckled  on,  resolved  to  leave  the 
house  forthwith. 

Still  tingling  from  the  blow  of  her  words,  he  yet 
felt  a  great  relief  that  the  task  was  so  soon  over, 
and  that  her  speedy  action  had  spared  him  the  labor 
of  the  long  explanation  he  had  thought  to  make. 
As  matters  stood,  they  could  not  be  improved.  Her 
love  had  turned  to  hate,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye 

And  yet,  how  preposterously  she  had  accounted 
for  his  conduct !  Dwelling  on  his  hint,  though  it 
was  checked  at  its  utterance,  that  she  was  already 
bound,  she  had  assumed  that  he  held  out  her  en- 
gagement to  Golden  as  a  barrier  to  their  love.  And 
she  believed,  or  pretended  to  believe,  that  his  regard 

197 


198  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

for  that  barrier  arose  from  fear  of  inviting  a  rival's 
vengeance !  As  if  he,  who  daily  risked  his  life, 
could  fear  the  vengeance  of  a  man  whom  he  had 
already  once  defeated  with  the  sword !  It  was  like 
a  woman  to  alight  first  on  the  most  absurd  possibility 
the  situation  could  imply.  And  if  she  knew  the 
conjecture  was  absurd,  she  was  the  more  guilty  of 
affront  in  crying  it  out  against  him.  He,  in  turn, 
was  now  moved  to  anger.  He  would  not  have  false 
motives  imputed  to  him.  It  would  be  useless  to 
talk  to  her  while  her  present  mood  continued.  But 
he  could  write,  and  leave  the  letter  where  it  would 
be  found.  Inasmuch  as  he  had  faced  the  worst 
storm  his  disclosure  could  have  aroused,  there  was 
no  cowardice  in  resorting  to  a  letter  with  such  expla- 
nations as  could  not  be  brought  to  her  mind  in  any 
other  form.  Two  days  previously,  he  had  requested 
writing  materials  in  his  room,  for  the  sketching  of 
a  report  of  his  being  wounded,  and  these  were  still 
on  a  table  by  the  window.  He  lighted  candles,  and 
sat  down  to  write. 

When  he  had  finished  his  document,  sealed  and 
addressed  it,  he  laid  it  on  the  table,  where  it  would 
attract  the  eye  of  a  servant,  and  looked  around  for 
his  hat.  Presently  he  recalled  that  he  had  left  it  in 
the  parlor.  He  first  thought  of  seeking  a  servant, 
and  sending  for  it,  lest  he  might  meet  Elizabeth, 
should  he  again  enter  the  parlor.  But  it  would  be 


THE   PLAN  OF  RETALIATION.  1 99 

better  to  face  her,  for  a  moment,  than  to  give  an 
order  to  a  servant  of  a  house  whence  he  had  been 
ordered  out.  And  now,  as  he  intended  to  go  into 
the  parlor,  he  would  preferably  leave  the  letter  in 
that  room,  where  it  would  perhaps  reach  her  own 
eyes  before  any  other's  could  fall  on  it.  He  therefore 
took  up  the  letter,  thrust  it  for  the  time  in  his  belt, 
descended  quietly  to  the  south  hall,  cautiously  opened 
the  parlor  door,  peeped  through  the  crack,  saw  with 
relief  that  only  Miss  Sally  was  in  the  room,  threw 
the  door  wide,  and  strode  quickly  towards  the  table 
on  which  he  thought  he  had  left  his  hat. 

But,  as  he  approached,  he  saw  that  the  hat  was 
not  there. 

In  the  meantime,  during  the  few  minutes  he  had 
spent  in  his  room,  things  had  been  occurring  in  this 
parlor.  As  soon  as  Peyton  had  left  it,  or  had  been 
carried  out  of  it  by  the  resistless  current  of  Eliza- 
beth's invective,  the  girl  had  turned  her  anger  on 
herself,  for  having  weakened  to  this  man,  made  him 
her  hero,  indulged  in  those  dreams !  She  could 
scarcely  contain  herself.  Having  mechanically  picked 
up  her  cloak,  where  Peyton  had  let  it  fall,  she  evinced 
a  sudden  unendurable  sense  of  her  humiliation  and 
folly,  by  hurling  the  cloak  with  violence  across  the 
room.  At  that  moment  old  Mr.  Valentine  entered, 
placidly  seeking  his  pipe,  which  he  had  left  behind 
him. 


2OO  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

The  octogenarian  looked  surprisedly  at  the  cloak, 
then  at  Elizabeth,  then  mildly  asked  her  if  she  had 
seen  his  pipe. 

"  Oh,  the  cowardly  wretch ! "  was  Elizabeth's 
answer,  her  feelings  forcing  a  release  in  speech. 

"What,  me?"  asked  the  old  man,  startled,  not 
yet  having  thought  to  connect  her  words  with  his 
last  interview  with  the  American  officer.  He  looked 
at  her  for  a  moment,  but,  receiving  no  satisfaction, 
calmly  refilled,  from  a  leather  pouch,  his  pipe,  which 
he  had  found  on  the  mantel. 

Elizabeth's  thoughts  began  to  take  more  distinct 
shape,  and,  in  order  to  formulate  them  the  more 
accurately,  she  spoke  them  aloud  to  the  old  man, 
finding  it  an  assistance  to  have  a  hearer,  though  she 
supposed  him  unable  to  understand. 

"  Yet  he  wasn't  a  coward  that  evening  he  rode  to 
attack  the  Hessians,  —  nor  when  he  was  wounded, 
—  nor  when  he  stood  here  waiting  to  be  taken  !  He 
was  no  coward  then,  was  he,  Mr.  Valentine  ? "  Get- 
ting no  answer,  and  irritated  at  the  old  man's  owl- 
like  immovability,  she  repeated,  with  vehemence, 
"Was  he?" 

Mr.  Valentine  had,  by  this  time,  begun  to  put 
things  together  in  his  mind. 

"  No.  To  be  sure,"  he  chirped,  and  then  lighted 
his  pipe  with  a  small  fagot  from  the  fireplace,  an 
operation  that  required  a  good  deal  of  time. 


THE  PLAN  Of  RETALIATION.  2OI 

Elizabeth  now  spoke  more  as  if  to  herself.  "  Per- 
haps, after  all,  I  may  be  wrong !  Yes,  what  a  fool, 
to  forget  all  the  proofs  of  his  courage !  What  a  blind 
imbecile,  to  think  him  afraid !  It  must  be  that 
he  acts  from  a  delicate  conception  of  honor.  He 
would  not  encroach  where  another  had  the  prior 
claim.  He  considers  Golden  in  the  matter.  That's 
it,  don't  you  think  ? " 

"  Of  course,"  said  Valentine,  blindly,  not  having 
paid  attention  to  this  last  speech,  and  sitting  down 
in  his  armchair. 

"  I  can  understand  now,"  she  went  on.  "  He  did 
not  know  of  my  engagement  that  time  he  made  love, 
when  his  life  was  at  stake." 

"  Then  he's  told  you  all  about  it  ? "  said  the  old 
man,  beginning  to  take  some  interest,  now  that  he 
had  provided  for  his  own  comfort. 

"About  what?"  asked  Elizabeth,  showing  a 
woman's  consistency,  in  being  surprised  that  he 
seemed  to  know  what  she  had  been  addressing 
him  about. 

"About  pretending  he  loved  you,  —  to  save  his 
life,"  replied  Mr.  Valentine,  innocently,  consid- 
ering that  her  supposed  acquaintance  with  the 
whole  secret  made  him  free  to  discuss  it  with 
her. 

Elizabeth's  astonishment,  unexpected  as  it  was  by 
him,  surprised  the  old  man  in  turn,  and  also  gave 


202  THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

him  something  of  a  fright.  So  the  two  stared  at 
each  other. 

"  Pretending  he  loved  me ! "  she  repeated,  reflec- 
tively. "  Pretending !  To  save  his  life !  Now  I 
see!"  The  effect  of  the  revelation  on  her  almost 
made  Mr.  Valentine  jump  out  of  his  chair.  "For 
only  /  could  save  him  !  "  she  went  on.  "  There  was 
no  other  way  !  Oh,  how  I  have  been  fooled  !  I  — 
tricked  by  a  miserable  rebel!  Made  a  laughing- 
stock !  Oh,  to  think  he  did  not  really  love  me,  and 
that  I  —  Oh,  I  shall  choke  !  Send  some  one  to 
me,  —  Molly,  aunt  Sally,  any  one !  Go  !  Don't  sit 
there  gazing  at  me  like  an  owl !  Go  away  and  send 
some  one ! " 

Mr.  Valentine,  glad  of  reason  for  an  honorable 
retreat  from  this  whirlwind  that  threatened  soon  to 
fill  the  whole  room,  departed  with  as  much  activity 
as  he  could  command. 

"Oh,  what  shall  I  do?  What  shall  I  do?" 
Elizabeth  asked  of  the  air  around  her.  "I  must 
repay  him  for  his  duplicity.  I  shall  never  rest  a 
moment  till  I  do!  What  an  easy  dupe  he  must 
think  me!  Oh-h-h!" 

She  brought  her  hand  violently  down  on  the 
table,  but  fortunately  struck  something  compara- 
tively soft.  In  her  fury,  she  clutched  this  some- 
thing, raised  it  from  the  table,  and  saw  what  it 
was. 


THE  PLAN  OF  RETALIATION.  20$ 

"  His  hat !  "  she  cried,  and  made  to  throw  it  into 
the  fire,  but,  with  a  woman's  aim,  sent  it  flying 
towards  the  door,  which  was  at  that  instant  opened 
by  her  aunt,  who  saved  herself  by  dodging  most 
undignifiedly. 

"  What  is  it,  my  dear  ? "  asked  Miss  Sally,  in  a 
voice  of  mingled  wonderment  and  fear. 

"  I'll  pay  him  back,  be  sure  of  that ! "  replied 
Elizabeth,  who  was  by  this  time  a  blazing-eyed, 
scarlet-faced  embodiment  of  fury,  and  had  thrown 
off  all  reserve. 

"  Pay  whom  back  ? "  tremblingly  inquired  Miss 
Sally,  with  vague  apprehensions  for  the  safety  of 
old  Mr.  Valentine,  who  had  so  recently  left  her 
niece. 

"Your  charming  captain,  your  gentleman  rebel, 
your  gallant  soldier,  your  admirable  Peyton,  hang 
him  !  "  cried  Elizabeth. 

"  My  Peyton  ?  I  only  wish  he  was  !  "  sighed  the 
aunt,  surprised  into  the  confession  by  Elizabeth's 
own  outspokenness. 

"You're  welcome  to  him,  when  I've  had  my  re- 
venge on  him  !  Oh,  aunt  Sally,  to  think  of  it ! 
He  doesn't  love  me !  He  only  pretended,  so  that 
I  would  save  his  life  !  But  he  shall  see  !  I'll  de- 
liver him  up  to  the  troops,  after  all !  " 

"  Oh,  no  !  "  said  Miss  Sally,  deprecatingly.  Great 
as  was  the  news  conveyed  to  her  by  Elizabeth's 


204  THE    CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

speech,  she  comprehended  it,  and  adjusted  her 
mind  to  it,  in  an  instant,  her  absence  of  outward 
demonstration  being  due  to  the  very  bigness  of  the 
revelation,  to  which  any  possible  outside  show  of 
surprise  would  be  inadequate  and  hence  useless. 
Moreover,  Elizabeth  gave  no  time  for  manifesta- 
tions. 

"No,"  the  girl  went  on.  "You  are  right.  He's 
able-bodied  now,  and  might  be  a  match  for  all  the 
servants.  Besides,  'twould  come  out  why  I  shielded 
him,  and  I  should  be  the  laugh  o'  the  town.  Oh, 
how  shall  I  pay  him  ?  How  shall  I  make  him  feel 
— ah  !  I  know !  I'll  give  him  six  for  half  a  dozen  ! 
I'll  make  him  love  me,  and  then  I'll  cast  him  off  and 
laugh  at  him  !  " 

She  was  suddenly  as  jubilant  at  having  hit  on  the 
project  as  if  she  had  already  accomplished  it. 

"  Make  him  love  you  ? "  repeated  her  aunt,  dubi- 
ously. Her  aunt  had  her  own  reasons  for  doubting 
the  possibility  of  such  an  achievement. 

"  Perhaps  you  think  I  can't !  "  cried  Elizabeth. 
"  Wait  and  see  !  But,  heavens  !  He's  going  away, 
—he  won't  come  back,  —  perhaps  he's  gone  !  No, 
there's  his  hat ! "  She  ran  and  picked  it  up  from 
the  corner  of  the  doorway.  "  He  won't  go  without 
his  hat.  He'll  have  to  come  here  for  it.  He  went 
to  his  room  for  his  sword.  He'll  be  here  at  any 
moment." 


THE   PLAN  OF  RETALIATION.  2O5 

And  she  paced  the  floor,  holding  the  hat  in  one 
hand,  and  lapsing  to  the  level  of  ordinary  femininity 
as  far  as  to  adjust  her  hair  with  the  other. 

"  You'll  have  to  make  quick  work  of  it,  Elizabeth, 
dear,"  said  the  aunt,  with  gentle  irony,  "if  he's  go- 
ing to-night." 

"  I  know,  I  know,  —  but  I  can't  do  it  looking  like 
this."  She  laid  the  hat  on  the  table,  in  order  to 
employ  both  hands  in  the  arrangement  of  her  hair. 
"  If  I  only  had  on  my  satin  gown  !  By  the  lord 
Harry,  I  have  a  mind  —  I  will !  When  he  comes  in 
here,  keep  him  till  I  return.  Keep  him  as  if  your 
life  depended  on  it."  She  went  quickly  towards  the 
door  of  the  east  hall. 

"  But,  Elizabeth ! "  cried  Miss  Sally,  appalled. 
"Wait!  How  —  " 

"  How  ? "  echoed  Elizabeth,  turning  near  the  door. 
"  By  hook  or  crook  !  You  must  think  of  a  way  !  I 
have  other  things  on  my  mind.  Only  keep  him  till 
I  come  back.  If  you  let  him  go,  I'll  never  speak  to 
you  again !  And  not  a  word  to  him  of  what  I've 
told  you  !  I  sha'n't  be  long." 

"But  what  are  you  going  to  do?"  asked  the 
aunt,  despairingly. 

"  Going  to  arm  myself  for  conquest !  To  put  on 
my  war-paint !  "  And  the  girl  hastened  through  the 
doorway,  crossed  the  hall,  called  Molly,  and  ran  up- 
stairs to  her  room. 


2O6  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

Miss  Sally  stood  in  the  parlor,  a  prey  to  mingled 
feelings.  She  did  not  dare  refuse  the  task  thrown 
on  her  by  her  imperative  niece.  Not  only  her 
niece's  anger  would  be  incurred  by  the  refusal,  but 
also  the  niece's  insinuations  that  the  aunt  was  not 
sufficiently  clever  for  the  task.  However  difficult, 
the  thing  must  be  attempted.  And,  which  made 
matters  worse,  even  if  the  attempt  should  succeed, 
it  would  be  a  rewardless  one  to  Miss  Sally.  If 
she  might  detain  the  captain  for  herself,  the  effort 
would  be  worth  making.  The  aunt  sighed  deeply, 
shook  her  head  distressfully,  and  then,  reverting 
to  a  keen  sense  of  Elizabeth's  rage  and  ridicule  in 
the  event  of  failure,  looked  wildly  around  for  some 
suggestion  of  means  to  hold  the  officer.  Her  eye 
alighted  on  the  hat. 

"  He  won't  go  without  his  hat,  a  night  like  this ! " 
she  thought.  "  I'll  hide  his  hat." 

She  forthwith  possessed  herself  of  it,  and  explored 
the  room  for  a  hiding-place.  She  decided  on  one 
of  the  little  narrow  closets  in  either  side  of  the  door- 
way to  the  east  hall,  and  started  towards  it,  holding 
the  hat  at  her  right  side.  Before  she  had  come 
within  four  feet  of  the  chosen  place,  she  heard  the 
door  from  the  south  hall  being  thrown  open,  and, 
casting  a  swift  glance  over  her  left  shoulder,  saw  the 
captain  step  across  the  threshold.  She  choked  back 
her  sensations,  and  gave  inward  thanks  that  the 


THE  PLAN  OF  RETALIATION.  2O? 

hat  was  hidden  from  his  sight  by  herself.  Peyton 
walked  briskly  towards  the  table. 

Suddenly  he  stopped  short,  and  turned  his  eyes 
from  the  table  to  Miss  Sally,  whose  back  was 
towards  him. 

"  Ah,  Miss  Williams,"  said  he,  politely  but  hastily, 
"  I  left  my  hat  here  somewhere." 

"  Indeed  ? "  said  Miss  Sally,  amazed  at  her  own 
unconsciousness,  while  she  tried  to  moderate  the 
beating  of  her  heart.  At  the  same  moment,  she 
turned  and  faced  him,  bringing  the  hat  around 
behind  her  so  that  it  should  remain  unseen. 

Peyton  looked  from  her  to  the  spinet,  thence  to 
the  sofa,  thence  back  to  the  table. 

"Yes,  on  the  table,  I  thought.  Perhaps — " 
He  broke  off  here,  and  went  to  look  on  the 
mantel. 

Miss  Sally,  who  had  never  thought  the  captain 
handsomer,  and  who  smarted  under  the  sense  of  be- 
ing deterred,  by  her  niece's  purpose,  from  employing 
this  opportunity  to  fascinate  him  on  her  own  account, 
continued  to  turn  so  as  to  face  him  in  his  every 
change  of  place. 

"  I  don't  see  it  anywhere,"  she  said,  with  childlike 
innocence. 

Peyton  searched  the  mantel,  then  looked  at  the 
chairs,  and  again  brought  his  eyes  to  bear  on  Miss 
Sally.  She  blinked  once  or  twice,  but  did  not  quail. 


208  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

"  'Tis  strange !  "  he  said.  "  I'm  sure  I  left  it  in 
this  room." 

And  he  went  again  over  all  the  ground  he  had 
already  examined.  Miss  Sally  utilized  the  times 
when  his  back  was  turned,  in  making  a  search  of  her 
own,  the  object  of  which  was  a  safe  place  where  she 
could  quickly  deposit  the  hat  without  attracting  his 
attention. 

Peyton  was  doubly  annoyed  at  this  enforced  delay 
in  his  departure,  since  Elizabeth  might  come  into 
the  parlor  at  any  time,  and  the  meeting  occur  which 
he  had,  for  a  moment,  hoped  to  avoid. 

"Would  you  mind  helping  me  look  for  it?"  said 
he.  "I'm  in  great  haste  to  be  gone.  Do  me  the 
kindness,  madam,  will  you  not  ?  " 

"Why,  yes,  with  pleasure,"  she  answered,  think- 
ing bitterly  how  transported  she  would  be,  in  other 
circumstances,  at  such  an  opportunity  of  showing  her 
readiness  to  oblige  him. 

Her  aid  consisted  in  following  him  about,  looking 
in  each  place  where  he  had  looked  the  moment  be- 
fore, and  keeping  the  sought-for  object  close  behind 
her. 

Suddenly  he  turned  about,  with  such  swiftness 
that  she  almost  came  into  collision  with  him. 

"  It  must  have  fallen  to  the  floor,"  said  he. 

"Why,  yes,  we  never  thought  of  looking  there, 
did  we  ? "  And  she  followed  him  through  another 


THE  PLAN  OF  RETALIATION.  2OQ 

tour  of  the  room,  turning  her  averted  head  from  side 
to  side  in  pretendedly  ranging  the  floor  with  her 
eyes. 

"  I  know,"  he  said,  with  the  elation  of  a  new  con- 
jecture. "  It  must  be  behind  something  !  " 

Miss  Sally  gasped,  but  in  an  instant  recovered 
herself  sufficiently  to  say  : 

"Of  course.  It  surely  must  be  —  behind  some- 
thing." 

Harry  went  and  looked  behind  the  spinet,  then 
examined  the  small  spaces  between  other  objects  and 
the  wall.  This  search  was  longer  than  any  he  had 
made  before,  as  some  of  the  pieces  of  furniture 
had  to  be  moved  slightly  out  of  position. 

Miss  Sally  felt  her  proximity  to  the  object  of 
this  search  becoming  unendurable.  She  therefore 
profited  by  Peyton's  present  occupation  to  conduct 
pretended  endeavors  towards  the  closet  west  of 
the  fireplace.  She  noiselessly  opened  one  of  the 
narrow  doors,  quickly  tossed  the  hat  inside,  closed 
the  door,  and  turned  with  ineffable  relief  towards 
Peyton. 

To  her  consternation  she  found  him  looking  at 
her. 

"  What  are  you  doing  there  ? "  he  asked. 

"Why,  —  looking  in  this  closet,"  she  stammered, 
guiltily. 

"  Oh,  no,  it  couldn't  be  in  there,"   said   Peyton, 


2IO  THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

lightly.  "But,  yes.  One  of  the  servants  might 
have  laid  it  on  the  shelf."  And  he  made  for  the 
closet. 

"Oh,  no!" 

Miss  Sally  stood  against  the  closet  doors  and  held 
out  her  hands  to  ward  him  off. 

"  No  harm  to  look,"  said  he,  passing  around  her 
and  putting  his  hand  on  the  door. 

Miss  Sally  felt  that,  by  remaining  in  the  position 
of  a  physical  obstacle  to  his  opening  the  closet,  she 
would  betray  all.  Acting  on  the  inspiration  of  the 
instant,  she  ran  to  the  centre  of  the  room,  and 
cried  : 

"  Oh,  come  away !  Come  here  !  "  and  essayed  a 
well-meant,  but  feeble  and  abortive,  scream. 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  "  asked  Peyton,  astonished. 

"  Oh,  I'm  going  to  faint ! "  she  said,  feigning 
a  sinkiness  of  the  knees  and  a  floppiness  of  the 
head. 

"  Oh,  pray  don't  faint !  "  cried  Peyton,  running  to 
support  her.  "  I  haven't  time.  Let  me  call  some 
one.  Let  me  help  you  to  the  sofa." 

By  this  time  he  held  her  in  his  arms,  and  was 
thinking  her  another  sort  of  burden  than  Tom 
Jones  found  Sophia,  or  Clarissa  was  to  Roderick 
Random. 

The  lady  shrank  with  becoming  and  genuine 
modesty  from  the  contact,  gently  repelled  him  with 


THE  PLAN  OF  RETALIATION.  211 

her  hands,  saying,  "  No,  I'm  better  now,  —  but 
come,"  and  took  him  by  the  arm  to  lead  him 
further  from  the  fatal  closet. 

But  Peyton  immediately  released  his  arm. 

"Ah,  thank  you  for  not  fainting!"  he  said,  with 
complete  sincerity,  and  stalked  directly  back  to  the 
closet.  Before  she  could  think  of  a  new  device,  he 
had  opened  the  door,  beheld  the  hat,  and  seized  it  in 
triumph.  "  By  George,  I  was  right !  I  bid  you 
farewell,  Miss  Williams !  "  He  very  civilly  saluted 
her  with  the  hat,  and  turned  towards  the  west  door 
of  the  parlor. 

Must,  then,  all  her  previous  ingenuity  be  wasted  ? 
After  having  so  far  exerted  herself,  must  she  surfer 
the  ignominious  consequences  of  failure  ? 

She  ran  to  intercept  him.  Desperation  gave  her 
speed,  and  she  reached  the  west  door  before  he 
did.  She  closed  it  with  a  bang,  and  stood  with 
her  back  against  it.  "  No,  no  !  "  she  cried.  "  You 
mustn't!" 

"  Mustn't  what  ? "  asked  Peyton,  surprised  as 
much  by  her  distracted  eyes,  panting  nostrils,  and 
heaving  bosom,  as  by  her  act  itself. 

"  Mustn't  go  out  this  way.  Mustn't  open  this 
door,"  she  answered,  wildly. 

He  scrutinized  her  features,  as  if  to  test  a  sudden 
suspicion  of  madness.  In  a  moment  he  threw  off 
this  conjecture  as  unlikely. 


212  THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

"But,"  said  he,  putting  forth  his  hand  to  grasp 
the  knob  of  the  door. 

"You  mustn't,  I  say!"  she  cried.  "I  can't  help 
it !  Don't  blame  me  for  it  !  Don't  ask  me  to  ex- 
plain, but  you  must  not  go  out  this  way !  " 

She  stood  by  her  task  now  from  a  new  motive, 
one  that  impelled  more  strongly  than  her  fear  of 
being  reproached  and  derided  by  Elizabeth.  Her 
own  self-esteem  was  enlisted,  and  she  was  now 
determined  not  to  incur  her  own  reproach  and 
derision.  She  perceived,  too,  with  a  sentimental 
woman's  sense  of  the  dramatic,  that,  though  denied 
a  drama  of  her  own  in  which  she  might  figure  as 
heroine,  here  was,  in  another's  drama,  a  scene  en- 
tirely hers,  and  she  was  resolved  to  act  it  out  with 
honor.  Circumstances  had  not  favored  her  with  a 
romance,  but  here,  in  another's  romance,  was  a  chap- 
ter exclusively  hers,  a  chapter,  moreover,  on  whose 
proper  termination  the  very  continuation  of  the 
romance  depended.  So  she  would  hold  that  door, 
at  any  cost. 

Peyton  regarded  her  for  another  moment  of 
silence. 

"  Oh,  well,"  said  he,  at  last,  "  I  can  go  the  other 
way." 

And,  to  her  dismay,  he  strode  towards  the  door 
of  the  east  hall.  She  could  not  possibly  outrun 
him  thither.  Her  heart  sank.  The  killing  sense 


THE  PLAN  OP  RETALIATION.  213 

of  failure  benumbed  her  body.  He  was  already  at 
the  door,  —  was  about  to  open  it.  At  that  instant 
he  stepped  back  into  the  parlor.  In  through  the 
doorway,  that  he  was  about  to  traverse,  came  Eliz- 
abeth. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE    CONQUEST. 

Miss  SALLY  saw  at  a  glance  that  her  niece  was 
dressed  for  conquest ;  then,  with  immense  relief  and 
supreme  exultation,  but  with  a  feeling  of  exhaustion, 
knowing  that  her  work  was  done,  she  silently  left 
the  room  by  the  door  she  had  guarded,  closed  it 
noiselessly  behind  her,  and  went  up-stairs  to  restore 
her  worked-out  energies. 

Elizabeth  wore  a  blue  satin  gown,  the  one  evening 
dress  she  had,  in  the  possibility  of  a  candle-light 
visit  from  the  officers  at  the  outpost,  brought 
with  her  from  New  York.  Her  bare  forearms,  and 
the  white  surface  surrounding  the  base  of  her 
neck,  were  thus  for  the  first  time  displayed  to 
Peyton's  view.  A  pair  of  slender  gold  bracelets 
on  her  wrists  set  off  the  smoothness  of  her  rounded 
arms,  but  she  wore  no  other  jewelry.  She  had 
not  had  the  time  or  the  facilities  to  have  her 
hair  built  high  as  a  grenadier's  cap,  but  she  looked 
none  the  less  commanding.  She  was,  indeed,  a 
radiant  creature.  Peyton,  having  never  before  seen 

214 


THE   CONQUEST.  21$ 

her  at  her  present  advantage,  opened  wide  his  eyes 
and  stared  at  her  with  a  wonder  whose  openness 
was  excused  only  by  the  suddenness  of  the  dazzling 
apparition. 

She  cast  on  him  a  momentary  look  of  perfect 
indifference,  as  she  might  on  any  one  that  stood  in 
her  way ;  then  walked  lightly  to  the  spinet,  giving 
him  a  barely  noticeable  wide  berth  in  passing,  as 
if  he  were  something  with  which  it  was  probably 
desirable  not  to  come  in  contact.  Her  slight  devi- 
ation from  a  direct  line  of  progress,  though  made 
inoffensively,  struck  him  like  a  blow,  yet  did  not 
interrupt,  for  more  than  an  instant,  his  admiration. 
He  stood  dumbly  looking  after  her,  at  her  smooth 
and  graceful  movement,  which  had  no  sound  but  the 
rustling  of  skirts,  her  footfalls  being  noiseless  in 
the  satin  slippers  she  wore. 

Peyton  was  not  now  as  impatient  as  he  had  been 
to  depart.  In  fact,  he  lost,  in  some  measure,  his 
sense  of  being  in  the  act  of  departure.  What  he 
felt  was  an  inclination  to  look  longer  on  this  so  unex- 
pected vision.  She  sat  down  at  the  spinet  with 
her  back  towards  him,  and  somehow  conveyed  in  her 
attitude  that  she  thought  him  no  longer  in  the  room. 
He  felt  a  necessity  for  establishing  the  fact  of  his 
presence. 

"  Pardon  me  for  addressing  you,"  he  said,  with  a 
diffidence  new  to  him,  taking  up  the  first  pretext 


2l6  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

that  came  to  mind,  "  but  I  fear  your  aunt  requires 
looking  to.  She  behaves  strangely." 

"  Oh,"  said  Elizabeth,  lightly,  too  wise  to  give  him 
the  importance  of  pretending  not  to  hear  him,  "  she 
is  subject  to  queer  spells  at  times.  I  thought  you 
had  gone." 

She  began  to  play  the  spinet,  very  quietly  and 
unobtrusively,  with  an  absence  of  resentment,  and 
with  a  seemingly  unconscious  indifference,  that  gave 
him  a  paralyzing  sense  of  nothingness. 

Unpleasant  as  this  feeling  made  his  position,  he 
felt  the  situation  become  one  from  which  it  would  be 
extremely  awkward  to  flee.  For  the  first  time  since 
certain  boyhood  fits  of  bashfulness,  he  now  realized 
the  aptness  of  that  oft-read  expression,  "rooted  to 
the  spot."  That  he  should  be  thrown  into  this 
trance-like  embarrassment,  this  powerlessness  of 
motion,  this  feeling  of  a  schoolboy  first  introduced 
to  society,  of  a  player  caught  by  stage  fright,  was 
intolerable. 

When  she  had  touched  the  keys  gently  a  few 
times,  he  shook  off  something  of  the  spell  that 
bound  him,  and  moved  to  a  spot  whence  he  could 
get  a  view  of  her  face  in  profile.  It  had  not  an 
infinitesimal  trace  of  the  storm  that  had  driven  him 
from  the  room  a  short  time  before.  It  was  entirely 
serene.  There  was  on  it  no  anger,  no  grief,  no 
reproach  of  self  or  of  another,  no  scorn.  There  was 


THE    CONQUEST.  21 7 

pride,  but  only  the  pride  it  normally  wore ;  reserve, 
but  only  the  reserve  habitual  to  a  high-born  girl  in 
the  presence  of  any  but  her  familiars.  It  was  hard 
to  believe  her  the  woman  who  had  been  stirred  to 
such  tremendous  wrath  a  few  minutes  ago,  by  the 
disclosure  that  she  had  been  deceived,  her  love 
tricked  and  misplaced.  Rather,  it  was  hard  to  be- 
lieve that  the  scene  of  wrath  had  ever  occurred,  that 
this  woman  had  ever  been  so  stirred  by  such  cause, 
that  she  had  ever  loved  him,  that  he  had  ever  dared 
pretend  love  to  her.  The  deception  and  the  confes- 
sion, with  all  they  had  elicited  from  her,  seemed 
parts  of  a  dream,  of  some  fancy  he  had  had,  some 
romance  he  had  read. 

As  for  Elizabeth,  she  knew  not,  thought  not, 
whether,  in  bearing  him  hot  resentment,  she  still 
loved  him.  She  knew  only  that  she  craved  revenge, 
and  that  the  first  step  towards  her  desired  end 
was  to  assume  that  indifference  which  so  puzzled, 
interested,  and  confounded  him.  A  weak  or  a  stupid 
woman  would  have  shown  a  sense  of  injury,  with 
flashes  of  anger.  An  ordinarily  clever  woman  would 
have  affected  disdain,  would  have  sniffed  and  looked 
haughty,  would  have  overdone  her  pretended  con- 
tempt. It  is  true,  Elizabeth  had  moved  slightly  out 
of  her  way  to  pass  further  from  him,  but  she  had 
done  this  with  apparent  thoughtlessness,  as  if  the 
act  were  dictated  by  some  inner  sense  of  his  belong- 


21  8  THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

ing  to  an  inferior  race ;  not  with  a  visible  intention 
of  showing  repulsion.  It  is  true  she  had  assumed 
ignorance  of  his  presence,  but  she  had  given  him  to 
attribute  this  to  a  belief  that  he  had  left  the  room. 
When  his  voice  declared  his  whereabouts,  she  treated 
him  just  as  she  would  have  treated  any  other  indiffer- 
ent person  who  was  not  quite  her  equal. 

Peyton  felt  more  and  more  uncomfortable.  Would 
she  continue  playing  the  spinet  forever,  so  perfectly 
at  ease,  so  content  not  to  look  at  him  again,  so 
assuming  it  for  granted  that,  the  operation  of  leave- 
taking  being  considered  over  between  hostess  and 
guest,  the  guest  might  properly  be  gone  any  moment 
without  further  attention  on  either  side  ? 

He  began  to  fear  that,  if  he  did  not  soon  speak, 
his  voice  would  be  beyond  recovery.  So,  with  a 
desperate  resolve  to  recover  his  self-possession  at 
a  single  coup,  he  blurted  out,  bunglingly : 

"  'Tis  the  first  time  I  have  seen  you  in  that  gown, 
madam." 

Elizabeth,  not  ceasing  to  let  her  fingers  ramble 
with  soft  touch  over  the  keyboard,  replied,  carelessly  : 

"  I  have  not  worn  it  in  some  time." 

Having  found  that  he  retained  the  power  of  speech, 
he  proceeded  to  utter  frankly  his  latest  thought,  con- 
cealing the  slight  bitterness  of  it  with  a  pretence  of 
playful,  make-believe  reproach  : 

"  'Tis  not  flattering  to  me,  that  you  never  wore  it 


THE   CONQUEST.  21$ 

while  I  was  your  guest,  yet  put  it  on  the  moment 
you  thought  I  had  departed." 

She  answered  with  good-humored  lightness,  "  Why, 
sir,  do  you  complain  of  not  being  flattered  ?  I 
thought  such  complaints  were  made  only  by  women, 
and  only  to  their  own  hearts." 

"If  by  flattery,"  said  he,  "you  mean  merited  com- 
pliment, there  are  women  who  can  never  have  occa- 
sion to  complain  of  not  receiving  it." 

"  Indeed  ?     When  was  that  discovery  made  ? " 

"  A  minute  ago,  madam." 

"  Oh  !  "  and  she  smiled  with  just  such  graciousness 
as  a  woman  might  show  in  accepting  a  compliment 
from  a  comparative  stranger.  "  Thank  you  !  " 

"When  I  think  of  it,"  said  he,  "it  seems  strange 
that  you  —  ah  —  never  took  pains  to  —  eh  —  to  ap- 
pear at  your  best  —  nay,  I  should  say,  as  your  real 

self!  —  before  me." 

\ 

"  Oh,  you  allude  to  my  wearing  this  gown  ?     Why, 
i 

you  must  pardon  my  not  having  received  you  cere- 
moniously. Your  visit  began  unexpectedly." 

"Then  somebody  else  is  about  to  begin  a  visit 
that  is  expected  ? " 

"  Didn't  you  know  ?  I  thought  all  the  house  was 
aware  Major  Golden  was  to  return  in  a  week.  He 
may  be  here  to-night,  though  perhaps  not  till  to- 
morrow." 

"  Confound   that   man ! "     This   to   himself,   and 


22O  THE    CONTINENTAL    DRAGOON. 

then,  to  her :  "  I  was  of  the  impression  you  did  not 
love  him." 

"  Why,  what  gave  you  that  impression  ? " 

"No  matter.     It  seems  I  was  wrong." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  say  that,  —  or  that  you're  right, 
either." 

"  However,"  quoth  he,  with  an  inward  sigh  of 
resignation,  "it  is  for  him  that  you  are  dressed  as 
you  never  were  for  me !  " 

She  did  not  choose  to  ask  what  reason  had  existed 
for  considering  him  in  selecting  her  attire.  It  was 
better  not  to  notice  his  presumption,  and  she  became 
more  absorbed  in  her  music. 

Peyton  strode  up  and  down  a  few  moments,  then 
sat  by  the  table,  and  rested  his  cheek  on  his  hand, 
wearing  a  somewhat  injured  look. 

"Major  Golden,  eh?"  he  mused.  "To  think  I 
should  come  upon  him  again ! "  He  essayed  to 
renew  conversation.  "  I  trust,  Miss  Philipse,  when 
I  am  gone — '  But  Elizabeth  was  now  oblivious  of 
surroundings;  the  notes  from  the  spinet  became 
louder,  and  she  began  to  hum  the  air  in  a  low, 
agreeable  voice.  Peyton  looked  hopeless.  Presently 
he  stood  up  again,  watching  her. 

Elizabeth  brought  the  piece  to  a  lively  finish,  rose 
capriciously,  took  up  the  flowers  she  had  laid  on  the 
spinet  earlier  in  the  evening,  put  them  in  her  cor- 
sage, and  made  to  readjust  the  bracelet  on  her  right 


THE   CONQUEST.  221 

arm.  In  this  attempt,  she  accidentally  dropped  the 
bracelet  to  the  floor.  Peyton  ran  to  pick  it  up. 
But  she  quickly  recovered  it  before  he  could  reach 
it,  put  it  on,  walked  to  the  table  and  sat  down  by  it, 
removed  the  flowers  from  her  bosom  to  the  table, 
took  up  the  volume  of  "The  School  for  Scandal," 
and  turned  the  leaves  over  as  if  in  quest  of  a  certain 
page. 

While  she  was  looking  at  the  book,  Peyton  took 
up  the  flowers.  Elizabeth,  as  if  thinking  they  were 
still  where  she  had  laid  them,  put  out  her  hand  to 
repossess  them,  keeping  her  eyes  the  while  on  the 
book.  For  a  moment,  her  hand  ranged  the  table  in 
search,  then  she  abandoned  the  attempt  to  regain 
them. 

Peyton  held  them  out  to  her. 

"  No,  I  thank  you,"  she  said,  laying  down  the 
book,  and  went  back  to  the  spinet. 

"  Ah,  you  give  them  to  me ! "  cried  Peyton,  with 
sudden  pleasure. 

"  Not  at  all !  I  merely  do  not  wish  to  have  them 
now." 

"Oh,"  said  he,  thinking  to  make  account  by  find- 
ing offence  where  none  was  really  expressed,  "has 
my  touch  contaminated  them  for  you  ? " 

"  How  can  you  talk  so  absurdly  ?  "  And  she  re- 
sumed her  seat  at  the  spinet,  and  her  playing. 

Peyton  stood  holding  the  flowers,  looking  at  her, 


222  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

and  presently  heaved  a  deep  sigh.  This  not  mov- 
ing her,  he  suddenly  had  an  access  of  pride,  brought 
himself  together,  and  saying,  with  quick  resolution, 
"  I  bid  you  good-night  and  good-by,  madam,"  went 
rapidly  towards  the  door  of  the  east  hall.  But  his 
resolution  weakened  when  his  hand  touched  the 
knob,  and,  to  make  pretext  for  further  sight  of  her, 
he  turned  and  went  to  go  out  the  other  door. 

Elizabeth  had  had  a  moment  of  alarm  at  his  first 
sign  of  departure,  but  had  not  betrayed  the  feeling. 
Now  when,  from  her  seat  at  the  spinet,  she  saw  him 
actually  crossing  the  threshold  near  her,  she  called 
out,  gently,  "A  moment,  captain." 

The  pleased  look  on  his  face,  as  he  turned  towards 
her  inquiringly,  betrayed  his  gratification  at  being 
called  back. 

"  You  are  taking  my  flowers  away,"  she  said,  in 
explanation. 

He  plainly  showed  his  disappointment.  "Your 
pardon.  My  thoughtlessness.  But  you  said  you 
didn't  wish  to  keep  them."  He  laid  them  on  the 
spinet. 

"  I  do  not,  —  yet  a  woman  must  allow  very  few 
hands  to  carry  off  flowers  of  her  gathering." 

She  rose  and  took  up  the  flowers  and  walked 
towards  the  fireplace. 

"Then  you  at  least  take  them  back  from  my 
hands,"  said  Peyton. 


THE   CONQUEST.  22 3 

"Why,  yes,  —  for  this,"  and  she  tossed  them  into 
the  fire. 

He  looked  at  them  as  they  withered  in  the  blaze, 
then  said,  "Have  you  any  objection  to  my  carrying 
away  the  ashes,  Miss  Philipse  ?  " 

She  answered,  considerately,  "  'Twill  take  you  more 
time  than  you  can  lose,  to  gather  them  up." 

"Oh,  I  am  in  no  haste." 

"  Oh,  then,  I  ask  your  pardon.  A  moment  since, 
you  were  about  to  go." 

"  But  now  I  prefer  to  stay." 

"  Indeed  ?    May  I  ask  the  reason  —  but  no  matter." 

But  he  felt  that  a  reason  ought  to  be  forthcom- 
ing. "  Why,  you  know,  because  —  And  here  he 
thought  of  one.  "  I  wish  to  stay  to  meet  Major 
Golden,  of  whom  you  say  I  am  afraid.  I  shall  prove 
to  you  at  least  I  am  no  coward.  After  what  you 
have  said  to  me  this  night,  I  must  in  honor  wait  to 
face  him." 

"  But  it  is  late  now.  I  don't  think  he  will  come 
till  to-morrow." 

"Then  I  can  wait  till  to-morrow." 

"  But  your  duty  calls  you  back  to  your  own  camp, 
now  that  your  wound  has  healed." 

"  I  think  my  wound  has  undergone  a  slight  re- 
lapse. You  shall  see,  at  least,  I  am  not  afraid  of 
your  champion." 

"  If   that  is  your   only  reason,  —  your  desire  to 


224  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

quarrel  with  Major  Golden, —  I  cannot  invite  you 
to  remain." 

"Well,  then,  to  tell  the  truth,  there  is  another 
reason.  When  I  said,  a  while  since,  I  had  never 
seen  you  in  that  gown,  I  used  too  many  words.  I 
should  have  said  I  had  never  really  seen  you  at  all." 

"Where  were  your  eyes?"  she  asked,  absently, 
seeming  to  take  his  words  literally  and  to  perceive 
no  compliment. 

"  I  was  in  a  kind  of  waking  sleep." 

"  It  has  been  a  time  and  place  of  hallucinations,  I 
think.  I,  too,  sir,  have  been,  since  I  came  here  a 
week  ago,  under  the  strangest  spell.  A  kind  of  light 
madness  or  witchery  was  over  me,  and  made  me  act 
ridiculously,  against  my  very  will.  A  week  ago, 
when  you  were  disabled,  I  intended  to  give  you  up 
to  the  British,  —  as  I  should  do  now,  if  it  would  not 
be  so  troublesome  —  " 

"  'Twould  be  troublesome  to  me,  I  assure  you,"  he 
said,  interrupting. 

"But  at  the  last  moment,"  she  went  on,  "I  did 
precisely  the  reverse  of  what  I  wished.  Awhile 
ago,  in  this  room,  I  seemed  to  be  in  the  possession 
of  some  evil  spirit,  which  made  me  say  preposterous 
things.  I  can  only  remember  some  wild  raving  I 
indulged  in,  and  some  undeserved  rudeness  I  dis- 
played towards  you.  But,  will  you  believe,  the  in- 
stant you  left  me,  I  recovered  my  right  mind.  I  am 


THE   CONQUEST.  22$ 

like  ope  returned  from  bedlam,  cured,  and  you  will 
pardon  any  incivility  I  may  have  done  you  in  my 
peculiar  state,  I'm  sure,  since  you  speak  of  having 
been  curiously  afflicted  yourself." 

"Then  you  mean,"  he  faltered,  "you  did  not 
really  love  me?" 

"  Why,  certainly  I  did  not !  How  could  you  think 
I  did  ?  Something  possessed  my  will.  But,  thank 
heaven,  I  am  myself  again.  Why,  sir,  how  could  I  ? 
You  know  very  little  of  me,  sir,  to  think  —  Oh !  " 
She  covered  her  face  with  her  hands.  "  What  things 
must  I  have  said  and  done,  in  my  clouded  state, 
to  make  you  think  that !  You,  —  an  enemy,  a  rebel, 
a  person  whose  only  possible  interest  to  me  arises 
from  his  enmity  !  " 

Dazzled  as  he  was  by  her  newly  discovered  beauty, 
the  imposition  on  him  was  complete.  He  saw  this 
covetable  being  now  indifferent  to  him  out  of  his 
power  to  possess,  likely  soon  to  pass  into  the  posses- 
sion of  another. 

"  Pray  try  to  forget  awhile  that  enmity,"  he 
supplicated. 

"  I  shall  try,  and  then  you  can  have  no  interest 
for  me  at  all." 

"  Then  don't  try,  I  beg.  I'd  rather  have  an  inter- 
est for  you  as  an  enemy  than  not  at  all." 

"Why,  really,  sir  —  "  She  seemed  half  puzzled, 
half  amused. 


226  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

"Lord,"  quoth  he,  "how  I  have  been  deluded! 
I  thought  my  love-making  that  night,  feigned  though 
it  was,  had  wakened  a  response." 

"  Love-making,  do  you  say  ?  Will  you  believe  me, 
sir,  I  don't  remember  what  passed  here  that  night, 
save  the  unaccountable  ending,  —  my  making  you 
my  guest  instead  of  their  prisoner." 

"  I  wish  you  were  pretending  all  this  !  " 

"Why,  if  'twould  make  you  happier  that  I  were, 
I  wish  so,  too." 

" How  can  you  speak  so  lightly  of  such  matters? " 

"What  matters?" 

"Love,  of  course." 

"Why,  do  men  alone,  because  they  laugh  at 
women  for  taking  love  seriously,  have  the  right 
to  take  it  lightly  ?  And  of  what  love  am  I  speak- 
ing lightly,  —  the  love  you  say  you  feigned  for  me, 
or  the  love  you  say  you  thought  you  had  awakened 
in  me?" 

"  The  love  I  vow  I  do  not  feign  for  you !  The 
love  I  wish  I  could  awaken  in  you !  " 

"Why,  captain,  what  a  change  has  come  over 
you ! " 

"Yes.  I  have  risen  from  my  sleep.  If  you,  in 
waking  from  yours,  put  off  love,  I,  in  waking  from 
mine,  took  on  love  ! " 

She  smiled,  as  with  amusement.  "A  somewhat 
speedy  taking  on,  I  should  say." 


THE   CONQUEST.  22/ 

"  Love's  born  of  a  glance,  /  say !  " 
"  Haven't  I  heard  that  before  ?  "  reflectively. 
"  Aye,  for  I  said  it  here  when  I  did  not  mean  it, 
and  now  I  say  it  again  when  I  do  !  " 

"And  of  what  particular  glance  am  I  to  sup- 
pose—  " 

"Of  the  first  glance  I  cast  on  you  when  you 
entered  this  room  in  that  gown.  Yes,  born  of  a 
glance  —  " 

"  Born  of  a  gown,  in  that  case,  don't  you  mean  ? " 
derisively. 

"  Of  a  gown,  or  a  glance,  or  a  what  you  wish." 
"  I  don't  wish  it  should  be  born  at  all." 
"You  don't  wish  I  should  love  you  ?" 
"I  don't  wish  you  should  love  me  or  shouldn't 
love    me.       I    don't    wish    you  —  anything.       Why 
should  I  wish   anything  of   one  who  is  nothing  to 
me?" 

"  Nothing  to  you  !  I  would  you  were  to  me  what 
I  am  to  you  !  " 

"  What  is  that,  pray  ? " 
"  An  adorer !  " 

"  Yoi.  are  a  —  very  amusing  gentleman." 
"  You  refuse  me  a  glimpse  of  hope  ? " 
"  You  would  like  to  have  it  as  a  trophy,  I  suppose. 
You  men  treasure  the  memories  of  your  little  con- 
quests over  foolish  women,  as  an  Indian  treasures 
the  scalps  he  takes." 


228  THE    CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

"  Lord !  which  sex,  I  wonder,  has  the  busier 
scalping-knife  ? " 

"  I  can't  speak  for  all  my  sex.  Some  of  us  seek 
no  scalps  —  " 

"You  don't  have  to.  I  make  you  a  present  of 
mine.  I  fling  it  at  your  feet." 

"We  seek  no  scalps,  I  say,  —  because  we  don't 
value  them  a  finger-snap."  And  she  gave  a  speci- 
men of  the  kind  of  finger-snap  she  did  not  value 
them  at. 

"In  heaven's  name,"  he  said,  "say  what  you  do 
value,  that  I  may  strive  to  become  like  it !  What 
do  you  value,  I  implore  you,  tell  me?" 

"  Oh, —  my  studies,  for  one  thing,  —  my  French 
and  my  music,  —  " 

"  Could  I  but  translate  myself  into  French,  or  set 
myself  to  an  air  !  " 

"  Nay,  I  don't  care  for  comic  songs  !  " 

"I  see  you  like  flowers.  If  I  might  die,  and  be 
buried  in  your  garden,  and  grow  up  in  the  shape  of 
a  rose-bush  —  " 

"  Or  a  cabbage  !  " 

"  I  fear  you  don't  like  that  flower." 

"  Better  come  up  in  the  form  of  your  own  Virginia 
tobacco." 

"  And  be  smoked  by  old  Mr.  Valentine  ?  No,  you 
don't  like  tobacco.  Ah,  Miss  Philipse,  this  levity  is 
far  from  the  mood  of  my  heart !  " 


THE   CONQUEST.  22Q 

"  Why  do  you  indulge  in  it,  then  ?  " 

"  I  ?     Is  it  I  who  indulge  in  levity  ? " 

"Assuredly,  /do  not!"  Oh,  woman's  privilege 
of  saying  unabashedly  the  thing  which  is  not ! 

"No,"  said  he,  "for  there's  no  levity  in  the  cold- 
ness with  which  beauty  views  the  wounds  it  makes." 

"  I'm  sure  one  is  not  compelled  to  offer  oneself  to 
its  wounds." 

"  No,  —  nor  the  moth  to  seek  the  flame." 

"  La,  now  you  are  a  moth,  —  a  moment  ago,  a 
rosebush,  —  " 

"  And  you  are  ten  million  roses,  grown  in  the  gar- 
den of  heaven,  and  fashioned  into  one  body  there,  by 
some  celestial  Praxiteles  !  " 

"  Dear  me,  am  I  all  that  ? " 

"Ay,"  he  said,  sadly,  "and  no  more  truly  con- 
scious of  what  it  means  to  be  all  that,  than  any  rose 
in  any  garden  is  conscious  of  what  its  beauty  means !  " 

"  Perhaps,"  she  said,  softly,  feeling  for  a  moment 
almost  tenderness  enough  to  abandon  her  purpose, 
"  more  conscious  than  you  think !  " 

"  Ah  !  Then  you  are  not  like  common  beauties,  — 
as  poor  and  dull  within  as  they  are  rich  and  radiant 
without  ?  You  but  pretend  insensibility,  to  hide  real 
feeling." 

"  I  did  not  say  so,"  she  answered,  lightly,  bracing 
herself  again  to  her  resolution. 

"  But  it  is  so,  is  it  not  ? "  he  went  on.     "  Your 


230  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

heart  and  mind  are  as  roseate  and  delicate  as  your 
face  ?  You  can  understand  my  praises  and  my  feel- 
ings ?  You  can  value  such  love  as  mine  aright,  and 
know  'tis  worthy  some  repayment  ? " 

But  she  was  not  again  to  be  duped  by  low-spoken, 
fervid  words,  or  by  wistful,  glowing  eyes.  She  must 
be  sure  of  him. 

"  I  know,  —  I  recall  now,"  she  said,  with  little  ap- 
parent interest ;  "  you  spoke  of  love  a  week  ago, 
with  no  less  eloquence  and  ardor." 

"  More  eloquence  and  ardor,  I  dare  say,  for  then  I 
did  not  feel  love.  Then  my  tongue  was  not  tied  by 
sense  of  a  passion  it  could  not  hope  to  express  one 
hundredth  part  of !  And,  even  if  my  tongue  had  gift 
to  tell  my  heart,  I  should  not  dare  trust  myself 
under  the  sway  of  my  feelings.  But  I  do  love  you 
now,  —  I  do,  —  I  do !  " 

"  If  now,  why  not  before  ?  " 

"  Haven't  I  said  I've  been  blind  to  you  until 
to-night  ?  At  first  I  regarded  you  as  only  an 
enemy  to  be  turned  to  my  use  in  my  peril.  Hav- 
ing been  fortunate  in  that,  I  gave  myself  to  other 
thoughts.  But,  thinking  my  false  love  had  drawn 
true  love  from  you,  I  saw  I  could  not  in  honor  leave 
you  under  a  false  belief.  But  now  the  falsehood  has 
become  truth.  A  week  ago,  I  avowed  a  pretended 
passion,  to  gain  my  life !  Now,  I  declare  a  real  one, 
to  gain  your  love  ! " 


THE    CONQUEST. 

"  What,  you  expect  to  take  my  love  by  storm,  in 
reality,  as  you  did,  in  appearance,  a  week  ago  ? " 
She  had  risen  from  the  music  seat,  and  now  stood 
with  her  back  against  the  spinet,  her  hands  behind 
her,  her  head  turned  slightly  upward,  facing  him. 

"  I  don't  expect,"  said  he.     "  I  only  hope." 

"  And  what  gives  you  reason  to  hope  ?  " 

"  My  own  love  for  you.  Love  elicits  love,  they 
say." 

"  They  say  wrong,  then.  If  that  were  true,  there 
would  be  no  unrequited  lovers." 

"  Ay,  but  such  love  as  mine,  —  how  can  it  so  fill 
me  to  overflowing,  and  not  infect  you  ? " 

"Love  is  not  an  infectious  disease.  If  it  were,  I 
should  have  no  fear,  — knowing  myself  love-proof." 

"  I  can't  believe  that,  — for  a  woman  with  no 
spark  in  herself  could  not  light  so  fierce  a  flame  in 
me,  by  the  mere  meeting  of  our  eyes." 

"  If  it  should  create  in  me  such  a  disturbance  as 
you  seem  to  undergo,  I  shouldn't  wish  it  to  increase. 
But,  I  assure  you,  it  isn't  in  me." 

"  Pray  think  it  is.  Only  imagine  it  is  there,  and 
soon  it  will  be." 

She  felt  that  the  time  was  at  hand  to  strike  the 
blow. 

"If  I  could  be  perfectly  sure  you  spoke  in  ear- 
nest," she  said,  seeming  to  search  his  countenance 
for  testimony. 


232  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

"  In  earnest !  "  he  echoed.  "  Great  heavens,  what 
evidence  do  you  want  ?  If  there  is  an  aspect  of  love 
I  do  not  have,  tell  me,  and  I  shall  put  it  on." 

"Yes,  you  are  experienced  in  putting  on  the 
aspects  of  love." 

"Oh,  you  well  know  I  have  no  reason  now  for 
declaring  a  love  I  don't  feel.  If  you  could  be  sure 
I  spoke  in  earnest,  you  said,  —  what  then  ?  Tell 
me,  and  I  shall  find  a  way  to  convince  you  I  am  in 
earnest." 

"  Convince  me  first." 

" '  Convince  me/  you  say.  And  I  say,  '  Be  con- 
vinced.' By  the  Lord,  never  was  so  great  a  sceptic ! 
Is  not  your  sense  of  your  own  charms  sufficient  to 
convince  you  of  their  effect  ? " 

"  Mere  words !  " 

"  I'll  prove  my  love  by  acts,  then ! " 

"By  what  acts  ?" 

"By  fighting  for  you  or  suffering  for  you,  dy- 
ing for  you  or  living  for  you,  as  you  may  com- 
mand." '* 

"You  can  prove  it  thus.  Say,  'Long  live  the 
King ! ' " 

He  gazed  at  her  a  moment.     "  No,"  he  said. 

"  Say,  *  Long  live  the  King ! ' '  She  went  to  the 
door,  and  paused  on  the  threshold,  looking  at  him, 
as  if  to  give  him  a  last  opportunity. 

"  Long  live  the  King  —  "he  said. 


THE   CONQUEST.  233 

She  came  back  from  the  door. 

"  Of  France !  "  he  added. 

"No,"  she  cried,  and  dictated,  "'Long  live  the 
King  of  Great  Britain  !  "' 

"  Long  live  the  King  of  Great  Britain,  —  but  not 
of  America." 

"  No !  '  Long  live  George  the  Third,  King  of 
Great  Britain  and  the  American  colonies  ! ' ' 

"Long  live  George  the  Third,  King  of  Great 
Britain  and  —  Ireland." 

"  '  And  of  the  American  colonies.'  Say  it !  Say 
it  all !  " 

"  Long  live  Elizabeth  Philipse,  queen  of  beauty  in 
the  United  States  of  America  !  "  he  answered. 

"You  don't  love  me,"  said  she,  and  set  her  mind 
to  finding  some  other  means  by  which  he  might 
evince  what  she  knew  he  would  never  demonstrate 
in  the  way  she  had  demanded.  And  she  resolved 
his  humiliation  should  be  all  the  greater  for  the 
delay.  "You  don't  love  me." 

"  I  do.     I  swear,  on  my  knees." 

"  Then  get  on  your  knees  !  " 

"I  do ! "     He  dropped  on  one  knee. 

"  Both  knees  !  " 

"  Both."     He  suited  action  to  word. 

"Bow  lower." 

"  I  touch  the  floor."  He  did  so,  with  his  fore- 
head. "  Are  you  convinced  ?  " 


234  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

"Yes."  And  she  moved  thoughtfully  towards 
the  door  of  the  east  hall. 

"  Ah !  Convinced  that  I  love  you  madly  ?  "  In 
obedience  to  a  gesture,  he  remained  on  his  knees. 

"  Perfectly  convinced." 

"  Then,  the  reward  of  which  you  hinted  ? " 

"  Reward  ? " 

"You  said,  if  you  could  be  sure  I  spoke  in  ear- 
nest. Now  you  admit  you  are  sure.  What  then  ?" 

She  let  her  eyes  rest  on  him  a  moment,  without 
speaking,  as  he  looked  ardently  and  expectantly  up 
at  her  from  his  kneeling  attitude,  while  she  took  in 
breath,  and  then  she  flung  her  answer  at  him. 

"  What  then  ?  This !  That  you  are  now  more 
contemptible  and  ridiculous  and  utterly  non-existent, 
to  me,  than  you  have  formerly  been  !  That,  whatever 
I  may  have  done  which  seemed  in  your  behalf,  was 
partly  from  the  strange  insanity  of  which  I  have 
spoken,  and  partly  from  the  most  meaningless  ca- 
price !  That,  if  you  remain  here  till  to-morrow,  you 
may  see  me  in  the  arms  of  the  man  I  really  love, 
and  that  he  may  not  be  as  careless  of  the  fate  of 
a  vagabond  rebel  as  I  am.  And  now,  Captain  Cray- 
ton,  or  Dayton,  or  Peyton,  or  whatever  you  please, 
of  somebody  or  other's  light  horse,  go  or  stay,  as 
you  choose  ;  you're  as  welcome  as  any  other  casual 
passer-by,  for  all  the  comical  figure  your  impudence 
has  made  you  cut !  Learn  modesty,  sir,  and  you 


THE    CONQUEST.  235 

may  fare  better  in  your  next  love-making,  if  you  do 
not  aim  too  high !  And  that  piece  of  advice  is  the 
reward  I  hinted  at !  Good  night  !  " 

And  she  whirled  from  the  room,  slamming  behind 
her  the  mahogany  door,  at  which  Peyton  stared  for 
some  seconds,  in  blank  amazement,  too  overwhelmed 
to  speak  or  move  or  breathe  or  think. 

But  gradually  he  came  to  life,  slowly  rose,  stood 
for  a  moment  thoughtful,  fashioned  his  brows  into  a 
frown,  drew  his  lips  back  hard,  and  muttered  through 
his  closed  teeth : 

"  I'll  stay  and  fight  that  man,  at  least !  " 

And  he  sat  down  by  the  table,  to  wait. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE    CHALLENGE. 

A  VERY  few  moments  had  elapsed,  and  Peyton 
still  sat  by  the  table,  in  a  dogged  study,  when  the 
door  from  the  south  hall  was  opened  slightly,  and 
if  he  had  looked  he  might  have  seen  a  pair  of  eyes 
peeping  through  the  aperture.  But  he  did  not  look, 
either  then  or  when,  some  seconds  later,  the  door 
opened  wide  and  Miss  Sally  bobbed  gracefully  in. 

It  has  been  related  how,  after  her  brilliant  but 
exhausting  conduct  of  the  important  scene  assigned 
her,  she  sought  repose  in  her  room.  Looking  out 
of  her  window  presently,  she  saw  something,  of 
which  she  thought  it  advisable  to  inform  Elizabeth. 
Therefore  she  came  down- stairs.  Did  she  listen  at 
the  door  to  the  last  part  of  that  notable  conversa- 
tion ?  Ungallant  thought,  aroint  thee !  'Tis  well 
known  women  have  little  curiosity,  and  what  little 
they  have  they  would  not,  being  of  Miss  Sally's 
station  in  life,  descend  to  gratify  by  eavesdropping. 
Let  it  be  assumed,  therefore,  that  the  much  vaunted 
informant,  feminine  intuition,  told  Miss  Sally  of  the 

236 


THE    CHALLENGE.  237 

end  of  the  interview  between  her  niece  and  the  cap- 
tain, both  as  to  the  time  of  that  end  and  as  to  its 
nature. 

She  entered,  tremulous  with  a  vast  idea  that  had 
blazed  suddenly  on  her  mind.  Now  that  Elizabeth 
was  quite  through  with  Peyton,  now  that  Peyton 
must  be  low  in  his  self-esteem  for  Elizabeth's  humil- 
iation of  him,  and  therefore  likely  to  be  grateful  for 
consolatory  attentions,  Miss  Sally  might  resume  her 
own  hopes.  But  there  was  no  time  to  be  lost. 

"  Your  pardon,  captain,"  she  began,  sweetly,  with 
her  most  flattering  smile.  "  I  am  looking  for  Miss 
Elizabeth." 

"  She  was  here  awhile  ago,"  replied  Peyton,  glumly, 
not  bringing  his  eyes  within  range  of  the  smile. 
"  She  went  that  way.  I  trust  you've  recovered 
from  your  attack." 

"  My  attack  ? "  inquiringly,  with  surprise. 

"  The  queer  spell,  I  think  Miss  Philipse  called  it. 
She  said  you  were  subject  to  them." 

"Well,  how  does  she  dare  — "  She  checked 
her  tongue,  lest  she  might  betray  the  device  for  his 
detention.  Something  in  his  absent,  careless  way  of 
associating  her  with  a  queer  spell  irritated  her  a 
little  for  the  moment,  and  impelled  her  to  retaliation. 
"  I  suppose  that  was  not  the  only  thing  she  said  to 
you  ?  "  she  added,  ingenuously. 

"No,  —  she    said    other   things."      He    rose   and 


238  THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

went  to  the  fireplace,  leaned  against  the  mantel, 
and  gazed  pensively  at  the  red  embers. 

"  They  don't  seem  to  have  left  you  very  cheerful," 
ventured  Miss  Sally. 

"  Not  so  very  damned  cheerful !  —  I  beg  your 
pardon." 

Miss  Sally's  moment  of  resentment  had  passed. 
Now  was  the  time  to  strike  for  herself.  She  thought 
she  had  hit  on  a  clever  plan  of  getting  around  to  the 
matter. 

"Captain,"  said  she,  "you're  a  man  of  the  world. 
I  know  it's  presumptuous  of  me  to  ask  it,  but  —  if 
you  would  give  me  a  word  of  advice  —  " 

Peyton  did  not  take  his  look  from  the  fire,  or  his 
thoughts  from  their  dismal  absorption.  He  answered, 
half-unconsciously : 

"  Oh,  certainly !     Anything  at  all." 

"You  are  aware,  of  course,"  she  went  on,  with 
smirking,  rosy  confusion,  "that  Mr.  Valentine  is  a 
widower." 

"  Indeed  ?     Oh,  yes,  yes,  I  know." 

"  Yes,  a  widower  twice  over." 

"  How  sad !  He  must  feel  twice  the  usual  amount 
of  grief." 

"  Why,  —  I  don't  know  exactly  about  that." 

"The  poor  man  has  my  sympathy.  Doubtless  he 
is  inconsolable."  Peyton  scarce  knew  what  he  was 
saying,  or  whom  it  was  about. 


THE    CHALLENGE.  239 

"Why,  no,"  said  Miss  Sally,  averting  her  eyes, 
with  a  smiling  shyness,  "  not  altogether  inconsolable. 
That's  just  it." 

"  Oh,  is  it  ?  "  said  Peyton,  obliviously. 

"You  may  have  noticed  that  he  spends  a  good 
deal  of  time  here  at  present,"  she  went  on. 

"  A  good  deal  of  time,"  he  repeated.  "  There's 
doubtless  some  strong  attraction." 

"  Yes.  Perhaps  I  oughtn't  to  say  it,  but  there  is 
a  strong  attraction.  In  fact,  he  has  proposed  mar- 
riage to  me,  and  now,  as  a  man  of  the  world  to  a 
woman  of  little  experience,  would  you  advise  me  to 
accept  him  ? " 

And  she  looked  at  the  disconsolate  officer  so 
sweetly,  it  seemed  impossible  he  should  do  aught 
but  say  it  would  be  throwing  herself  away  to  bestow 
on  an  old  man  charms  of  which  younger  and  warmer 
eyes  were  sensible.  But  he  answered  only : 

"  Certainly !     An  excellent  match  !  " 

For  a  time  Miss  Sally  was  speechless,  yet  open- 
mouthed.  And  then,  for  the  length  of  one  brief  but 
fiery  tirade,  she  showed  herself  to  be  her  niece's  aunt : 

"  Sir !  The  idea !  I  wouldn't  have  that  old 
smoke-chimney  if  he  were  the  last  man  on  earth ! 
I'd  have  given  him  his  cong£  long  ago,  if  it  hadn't 
been  that  he  might  propose  to  my  friend,  the  widow 
Babcock !  I've  only  kept  him  on  the  string  to  pre- 
vent her  getting  him.  When  I  want  your  advice, 


24O  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

Captain  Peyton,  I'll  ask  for  it !  Excuse  me,  I  must 
find  Elizabeth.  I've  news  for  her." 

"  News  ? "  he  echoed,  stupidly. 

"  Yes.  From  my  chamber  window  awhile  ago  I 
saw  some  one  riding  this  way  on  the  post-road, — 
Major  Golden ! " 

And  she  swept  out  by  the  same  door  that  had 
closed,  a  few  minutes  before,  on  Elizabeth. 

"  Major  Golden  !  "  Peyton's  teeth  tightened,  his 
eyes  shot  fire,  his  hand  flew  to  his  sword-hilt,  as  he 
spoke  the  name. 

He  went  to  the  window,  the  same  window  at 
which  Elizabeth  had  looked  out  a  week  ago,  and 
peered  through  the  panes  at  the  night. 

"  Why,  the  ground  is  white,"  he  said.  "  It  has 
begun  to  snow." 

But,  through  the  large  flakes  that  fell  thick  and 
swiftly  among  the  trees,  he  did  not  yet  see  any 
humankind  approaching.  His  view  of  the  branch 
road  was,  at  some  places,  obstructed  by  tall  shrub- 
bery that  rose  high  above  the  palings  and  the  hedge. 

Yet  through  those  flakes,  assaulted  by  them  in 
eyes  and  nostrils,  invaded  by  them  in  ears  and  neck, 
humankind  was  riding.  It  was,  indeed,  Golden 
that  Miss  Sally  had  seen  through  a  fortuitous 
opening,  which  gave,  between  the  trees,  a  view  of  the 
most  eminent  point  of  the  post-road  southward.  He 
was  to  conduct  Elizabeth  home  the  next  day,  but 


THE    CHALLENGE.  24! 

had  availed  himself  of  his  opportunity  to  ride  out  to 
the  manor-house  that  night,  so  as  to  have  the  few 
more  hours  in  her  society.  He  had  this  time  taken 
an  escort  of  two  privates  of  his  own  regiment,  but 
these  men  were  not  as  well  mounted  as  he,  and,  in 
his  impatience,  having  seen  the  best  their  horses 
could  do,  and  having  passed  King's  Bridge,  he  had 
ridden  ahead  of  them,  leaving  them  to  follow  to 
the  manor-house  in  their  own  speediest  time.  Thus 
it  was  that  now  he  bore  alone  down  from  the  post- 
road,  his  horse's  feet  making  on  the  new-fallen  snow 
no  other  sound  than  a  soft  crunching,  scarce  louder 
than  its  heavy  breathing  or  its  mouth-play  on  the 
bit,  or  the  creak  and  clank  of  saddle,  bridle,  stirrups, 
pistols,  and  scabbard.  His  eyes  dwelt  eagerly  on 
the  manor-house,  where  awaited  him  light  and 
warmth  and  wine,  refuge  from  the  pelting  flakes, 
and,  above  all  else,  the  joy-giving  presence  of  Eliz- 
abeth. His  breast  expanded,  he  sighed  already  with 
relief;  he  approached  the  gate  as  a  released  soul, 
with  admission  ticket  duly  purchased  by  a  death- 
bed repentance,  might  approach  the  gate  of  heaven. 

But  Peyton,  looking  out  on  the  white  world,  saw 
no  one.  He  did  not  change  his  attitude  when  the 
door  reopened  and  Elizabeth  and  her  aunt  came  into 
the  parlor,  arm  in  arm. 

"  You're  sure  'twas  he,  aunt  Sally  ? "  Elizabeth  had 
been  saying. 


242  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

"Positive.  He  should  be  here  now,"  Miss  Sally 
had  replied. 

Elizabeth  cast  a  look  of  secret  elation  on  the 
unheeding  rebel  captain,  whose  forehead  was  still 
against  the  window-pane.  She  saw  a  possible  means 
of  his  still  further  degradation. 

Suddenly  he  took  a  quick  step   back  from    the 
window,  impulsively  renewed  his  grasp  of  his  sword 
hilt,  and  showed  a  face  of  resolute  antagonism. 

Elizabeth  knew  from  this  that  he  had  seen  Golden. 
She  gave  a  smile  of  pleasant  anticipation. 

But  Miss  Sally  had  relapsed  into  her  usual  timid 
self.  She  held  tightly  to  Elizabeth's  arm. 

"  Oh,  dear  !  "  she  whispered.  "  Won't  something 
happen  when  those  two  meet  ? " 

"I  hope  so!"  said  Elizabeth,  placidly. 

"Why?"  demanded  Miss  Sally,  beginning  to 
weaken  at  the  knees. 

"  If  Golden  sends  him  to  the  ground,  in  our  pres- 
ence, that  will  crown  the  fellow's  humiliation." 

Five  brisk  knocks,  in  quick  succession,  were  heard 
from  the  outside  door  of  the  east  hall. 

Peyton  walked  across  the  parlor,  turned,  and  stood 
facing  the  east  hall  door,  the  greater  part  of  the 
room's  length  being  between  him  and  it.  His  hand 
remained  on  his  sword.  He  paid  no  heed  to  Eliza- 
beth, she  paid  none  to  him. 

*<  His  knock ! "   she  said,  and  called  out  through 


THE   CHALLENGE.  243 

the  east  hall  door  :  "  'Tis  Major  Golden,  Sam.  Show 
him  here  at  once."  She  then  stepped  back  from  the 
door,  to  a  place  whence  she  could  see  both  it  and 
Peyton.  Her  aunt  clung  to  her  arm  all  the  while, 
and  now  whispered,  "  Oh,  Elizabeth,  I  fear  there  will 
be  trouble ! " 

"If  there  is,  it  won't  fall  on  your  silly  head," 
whispered  Elizabeth,  in  reply. 

From  the  hall  came  the  sound  of  the  drawing 
of  bolts.  Peyton  did  not  take  his  eyes  from  the 
door. 

A  noise  of  footfalls,  accompanied  by  clank  of 
spurs  and  weapons,  and  in  came  Golden,  his  hat 
in  his  left  hand,  snow  on  his  hat  and  shoulders,  his 
cloak  open,  his  sword  and  pistols  visible,  his  right 
hand  ungloved  to  clasp  Elizabeth's. 

She  received  him  with  such  a  cordial  smile  as  he 
had  never  before  had  from  her. 

"Elizabeth!"  he  cried, — beheld  only  her,  has- 
tened to  her,  took  her  proffered  hand,  bent  his  head 
and  kissed  the  fingers,  raised  his  eyes  with  a  grate- 
ful, joyous  smile,  —  and  saw  Peyton  standing  mo- 
tionless at  the  other  side  of  the  room.  The  smile 
vanished  ;  a  look  of  amazement  and  hatred  came. 

"  I  wish  you  a  very  good  evening,  Major  Golden  !  " 

Peyton  said  this  in  a  voice  as  hard  and  ironical 
as  might  have  come  from  a  brass  statue. 

For  the  next  few  seconds    the    two   men  stood 


244  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

gazing  at  each  other,  the  women  gazing  at  the  men. 
At  last  the  Tory  major  found  speech  : 

"  Elizabeth,  —  what  does  it  mean  ?  Why  is  this 
man  here,  —  again  ?  " 

"  'Tis  rather  a  long  story,  Jack,  and  you  shall  hear 
it  all  in  time,"  said  Elizabeth,  determined  he  should 
never  hear  the  true  story. 

Before  she  could  continue,  Golden  suffered  a  start 
of  alarm  to  possess  him,  and  asked,  quickly : 

"  Are  any  of  his  troops  here  ? " 

"  No  ;  he  is  quite  alone,"  she  answered. 

Golden  at  once  took  on  height,  arrogance,  and 
formidableness. 

"Then  why  have  not  your  servants  made  him 
a  prisoner  ? "  he  asked. 

"Why,"  said  she,  "you  being  mentioned  to-night, 
in  his  presence,  he  made  some  kind  of  boast  of  not 
fearing  you,  and  I,  divining  how  soon  you  would  be 
here,  thought  fit  his  freedom  with  your  name  should 
best  be  paid  for  at  your  hands,  major." 

"Ay,  major,"  put  in  Peyton,  "and  I  have  stayed 
to  receive  payment !  " 

Golden  thought  for  a  short  while.  Then  he  said, 
"A  moment,  Elizabeth.  Your  pardon,  Miss  Wil- 
liams," and  drew  Elizabeth  aside,  and  spoke  to  her 
in  a  low  tone :  "  We  have  only  to  temporize  with 
him.  Two  of  my  men  have  attended  me  from  my 
quarters.  I  had  a  better  horse,  and  rode  ahead,  in 


THE   CHALLENGE.  245 

my  eagerness  to  see  you.  My  two  fellows  will  be 
here  soon,  and  the  business  will  be  done." 

But  such  doing  of  the  business  did  not  suit  Eliz- 
abeth's purpose.  "  I  wish  to  humiliate  the  man," 
she  answered  Golden,  inaudibly  to  the  others ;  "  to 
take  down  his  upstart  pride !  'Twould  be  no  shame 
to  him,  to  be  made  prisoner  by  numbers." 

"What,  then?"  asked  Golden,  dubiously. 

"  Bring  down  the  coxcomb,  before  us  women,  in 
an  even  match  !  " 

To  prevent  objections,  she  then  abruptly  went 
from  Golden,  and  resumed  her  place  at  her  aunt's 
side. 

Golden  stood  frowning,  not  half  pleased  at  her 
hint.  It  occurred  to  him,  as  it  did  not  to  her,  that 
the  mere  allegiance  and  favoring  wishes  of  herself 
were  not  sufficient  possessions  to  ensure  victory  in 
such  a  match  as  she  meant.  Elizabeth,  accustomed 
to  success,  did  not  conceive  it  possible  that  the 
chosen  agent  of  her  own  designs  could  fail.  But 
the  chosen  agent  had,  in  this  case,  wider  powers 
of  conception. 

All  this  time,  Captain  Peyton  had  stood  as 
motionless  as  a  figure  in  a  painting.  He  now  in- 
terrupted Colden's  meditations  with  the  gentle 
reminder : 

"I  am  waiting  for  my  payment,  Major  Golden." 

Golden  was  not  a  man  of  much  originality.     So, 


246  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

in  his  instinctive  endeavor  to  gain  time,  he  bungled 
out  the  conventional  reply,  "  You  wish  to  seek  a 
quarrel  with  me,  sir  ? " 

"  Seek  a  quarrel  ? "  retorted  Peyton.  "  Is  not  the 
quarrel  here  ?  Has  not  Miss  Philipse  spoken  of  an 
offence  to  your  name,  for  which  I  ought  to  receive 
payment  from  you  ?  Gad,  she'd  not  have  to  speak, 
twice  to  make  me  draw !  " 

Golden  continued  to  be  as  conventional  as  a  vir- 
tuous hero  of  a  novel.  "  I  do  not  fight  in  the 
presence  of  ladies,  sir,"  said  he. 

"  Nor  I,"  said  Peyton.  "  Choose  your  own  place, 
in  the  garden  yonder.  With  snow  on  the  ground, 
there's  light  enough." 

And  Harry  went  quickly,  almost  to  the  door,  near 
which  he  stopped  to  give  Golden  precedence. 

"  Nay,"  put  in  Elizabeth,  "  we  ladies  can  bear  the 
sight  of  a  sword-cut  or  two.  Wait  for  us,"  and 
she  would  have  gone  to  send  for  wraps,  but  that 
Golden  raised  his  hand  in  token  of  refusal,  saying : 

"Nay,  Elizabeth.     I  will  not  consent." 

"Come,  sir,"  said  Peyton.  "'Tis  no  use  to  op- 
pose a  lady's  whim.  But  if  you  make  haste,  we 
may  have  it  over  before  they  can  arrive  on  the 
ground." 

In  handling  his  sword-hilt,  Peyton  had  pulled  the 
weapon  a  few  inches  out  of  the  scabbard,  and  now, 
though  he  did  not  intend  to  draw  while  in  the  house, 


THE   CHALLENGE.  247 

he  unconsciously  brought  out  the  full  length  of  what 
remained  of  the  blade.  For  the  time  he  had  for- 
gotten the  sword  was  broken,  and  now  he  was 
reminded  of  it  with  some  inward  irritation. 

Meanwhile  Golden  was  answering : 

"  There's  no  regularity  in  such  a  meeting.  Where 
are  the  seconds  ? " 

"  I'll  be  your  second,  major,"  cried  Elizabeth. 
"  Aunt  Sally,  second  Captain  Peyton." 

"  Ridiculous  !  "  said  the  major. 

"Anything  to  bring  you  out,"  said  Peyton,  as 
desirous  of  avenging  himself  on  Elizabeth,  through 
her  affianced,  as  she  was  to  complete  her  own 
revenge  through  the  same  instrument.  "  I'll  fight 
you  with  half  a  sword.  I'd  forgotten  'tis  all  I've 
left." 

"I  would  not  take  an  advantage,"  said  the  New 
Yorker. 

"Then  break  your  own  sword,  and  make  us 
equal,"  said  the  Virginian. 

"  I  value  my  weapon  too  much  for  that." 

Peyton  smiled  ironically.     But  he  tried  again. 

"Then  I  shall  be  less  scrupulous,"  said  he.  "I 
will  take  an  advantage.  The  greater  honor  to  you, 
if  you  defeat  me.  You  take  the  broken  sword,  and 
lend  me  yours." 

He  held  out  his  hilt  for  exchange. 

Golden  pretended  to  laugh,  saying : 


248  THE    CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

"  Am  I  a  fool  to  put  it  in  your  power  to  murder 
me?" 

"  /'//  tell  you  what,  gentlemen,"  put  in  Elizabeth. 
"  Use  the  swords  above  the  chimney-place,  yonder. 
They  are  equal." 

"  Yes  !  "  cried  Peyton. 

But  Golden  said : 

"  I  will  not  so  degrade  myself  as  to  cross  swords, 
except  on  the  battle-field,  with  one  who  is  a  rebel,  a 
deserter,  and  no  gentleman." 

Peyton  turned  to  Elizabeth  with  a  smile. 

"  Then  you  see,  madam,"  said  he,  "  'tis  no  fault  of 
mine  if  my  affronts  go  unpunished,  since  this  gentle- 
man must  keep  his  courage  for  the  battle-field ! 
Egad,"  he  added,  sacrificing  truth  for  the  sake  of 
the  taunt,  "you  Tories  need  all  the  courage  there 
you  can  save  up  in  a  long  time  !  I  take  my  leave  of 
this  house !  " 

He  thrust  his  sword  back  into  the  scabbard,  bowed 
rapidly  and  low,  with  a  flourish  of  his  hat,  and  went 
out  by  the  same  door  Elizabeth  had  used  in  her  own 
moment  of  triumph.  He  unbolted  the  outside  door 
himself,  before  black  Sam  could  come  from  the  set- 
tle to  serve  him.  Snowflakes  rushed  in  at  the  open 
door.  He  plunged  into  them,  swinging  the  door 
close  after  him.  Out  through  the  little  portico  he 
went,  down  the  walk  outside  the  very  parlor  win- 
dow through  which  he  had  looked  out  awhile  ago, 


KAVK    OK    THIS    HOUSF. ! 


THE   CHALLENGE.  249 

but  through  which  he  did  not  now  look  in  as  he 
passed ;  through  the  gate,  and  up  the  branch  road  to 
the  highway.  He  was  possessed  by  a  confusion  of 
thoughts  and  feelings,  —  temporary  and  superficial 
elation  at  having  put  Elizabeth's  preferred  lover  in 
so  bad  a  light,  wild  ideas  of  some  future  crossing  of 
her  path,  swift  dreams  of  a  future  conquest  of  her 
in  spite  of  all,  a  fierce  desire  for  such  action  as 
would  lead  to  that  end.  He  was  eager  to  rejoin  the 
army  now,  to  participate  in  the  fighting  that  would 
bring  about  the  humbling  of  her  cause  and  make  it 
the  more  in  his  power  to  master  her.  He  heeded 
little  the  snow  that  impeded  his  steps  as  his  boots 
sank  into  it,  and  which,  in  falling,  blinded  his  eyes, 
tickled  his  face,  and  clung  to  his  hair.  The  tumult 
of  flakes  was  akin  to  that  of  his  feelings,  and  he 
was  in  mood  for  encountering  such  opposition  as  the 
storm  made  to  his  progress. 

Arriving  at  the  post-road,  he  turned  and  went 
northward.  At  his  left  lay  the  great  lawn  fronting 
the  manor-house,  and  separated  from  the  road  by 
hedge  and  palings.  He  could  see,  across  the  snowy 
expanse,  between  the  dark  trunks  and  whitened 
branches  of  the  trees,  the  long  front  of  the  manor- 
house,  its  roof  and  its  porticoes  already  covered  with 
snow,  the  light  glowing  in  the  one  exposed  window 
of  the  east  parlor.  As  he  quieted  down  within,  he 
felt  pleasantly  towards  the  house,  to  which  his  week's 


250  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

half-solitary  residence  in  it,  with  the  comfort  he  had 
enjoyed  there  and  the  books  he  had  read,  had  given 
him  an  attachment.  He  cast  on  it  a  last  affection- 
ate look,  then  breasted  the  weather  onward,  wonder- 
ing what  things  the  future  might  have  in  store  for 
him. 

He  had  little  fear  of  not  reaching  the  American 
lines  in  safety.  It  was  unlikely  that  any  of  the  ene- 
my's marauders  would  be  out  on  such  a  night,  and 
more  unlikely  that  any  regular  military  movement 
would  be  making  on  the  neutral  ground.  He  ex- 
pected to  meet  no  one  on  the  road,  but  he  would 
keep  a  sharp  lookout  in  all  directions  as  he  went, 
and,  in  case  of  any  human  apparition,  would  take  to 
the  fields  or  the  woods.  But  all  the  world,  thought 
he,  would  stay  within  doors  this  white  night. 

Sliding  back  a  part  of  every  step  he  took  in  the 
snow,  he  passed  the  boundary  of  the  Philipse  lawn, 
and  that  of  such  part  of  the  grounds  as  included, 
with  other  appurtenances,  the  garden  north  of  the 
house.  He  had  come,  at  last,  to  a  place  where  the 
fence  at  his  left  ended  and  the  forest  began.  He 
had,  a  moment  before,  cast  a  long  look  backward 
to  assure  himself  the  road  was  empty  behind  him. 
He  now  trudged  on,  his  eyes  fixed  ahead. 

From  behind  a  low  pine-tree,  at  the  end  of  the 
fence,  two  dark  figures  glided  up  to  the  captain's 
rear,  their  steps  noiseless  in  the  snow.  One  of  them 


THE    CHALLENGE.  25  I 

caught  both  his  forearms  at  the  same  instant,  and 
pulled  them  back  together,  as  with  grips  of  iron.  A 
second  pair  of  hands  placed  a  noose  about  his  wrists, 
and  quickly  tightened  it.  Ere  he  could  turn,  his 
first  assailant  released  the  bound  arms  to  the  second, 
drew  a  pistol,  and  thrust  the  muzzle  close  to  Pey- 
ton's cheek,  whereupon  the  second  man  said  : 

"  Your  pardon,  captain.      Come  quietly,  or  you're 
a  dead  man  1 " 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE    UNEXPECTED. 

PEYTON'S  somewhat  elate  exit  from  the  parlor  was 
followed  by  a  moment  of  silence  and  inertia  on  the 
part  of  the  three  who  remained  there.  But  Eliza- 
beth's chagrin  was  speedily  translated  into  anger 
against  Major  Golden. 

"  Why  didn't  you  fight  him  ? "  she  demanded  of 
that  gentleman,  who  was  flinching  inwardly,  but  who 
maintained  a  pale  and  haughty  exterior. 

"  What  was  the  use  ? "  he  replied.  "  He's  re- 
served for  the  gallows.  If  my  two  men  were 
here !  Why  not  send  your  servants  after  him  ? 
Sam  is  a  powerful  fellow,  and  Williams  is  shrewd 
and  strong." 

Elizabeth  ignored  Colden's  reply,  and  answered 
her  own  question,  thus  : 

"It  was  because  you  remembered  the  time  he 
disarmed  you,  three  years  ago." 

"You  may  think  so,  if  you  choose,"  he  replied,  in 
the  patient  manner  of  one  who  quietly  endures  unjust 
reproaches  when  self-defence  is  useless. 

252 


THE    UNEXPECTED,  2$$ 

"  You  will  find  refreshments  in  the  dining-room," 
said  Elizabeth,  coldly.  "  Sam  will  show  you  to  your 
room." 

"  I  would  rather  remain  with  you,"  he  replied. 

"I  would  rather  be  alone  with  my  aunt  a  while." 

A  deep  sigh  expressed  his  dejecting  sense  of  how 
futile  it  would  be  to  oppose  her. 

"As  you  will,"  he  then  said,  and,  bowing  gravely, 
left  the  parlor. 

Elizabeth's  feelings  now  burst  out. 

"  Oh,"  she  exclaimed  to  her  aunt,  "  what  a  chick- 
en-hearted copy  of  a  man  !  And  he  calls  himself 
a  soldier !  I  wonder  where  he  found  the  spirit  to 
volunteer  ! " 

"  From  you,  my  dear,"  replied  Miss  Sally.  "  Didn't 
you  urge  him  to  take  a  commission  ?  " 

"And  that  rebel  fellow  had  the  best  of  it  all 
through,"  Elizabeth  went  on.  "I  was  to  see  him 
laid  low  by  his  rival,  as  my  crowning  revenge  1 
How  he  swaggered  out !  with  what  a  look  of  tri- 
umph in  his  eye!  And  —  aunt  Sally!  He  won't 
come  back !  I  shall  never  see  him  again  !  " 

"  Why,  child,  do  you  wish  to  ? " 

"  Of  course  not !  But  I  can't  have  him  go  away 
with  the  laugh  on  his  side !  He  made  me  ridiculous 
after  my  trying  to  stab  him  with  my  love  for  the 
other  man.  Such  another  man !  Oh,  the  rebel 
must  come  back  !  " 


254  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

"  But  he  isn't  likely  to,"  said  Miss  Sally. 

"  Oh,  what  shall  I  do  ? "  wailed  the  niece. 

"  Elizabeth,  I'll  wager  you're  still  in  love  with 
him ! " 

"I'm  not!  I  hate  him!  —  Well,  what  if  I  am? 
He  loved  me,  I'm  sure,  the  last  time  he  said  it. 
But,  good  heavens,  he's  going  farther  away  every 
instant !  " 

She  clasped  her  hands,  and,  for  once,  looked  at 
her  aunt  for  help,  like  a  distressed  child  on  the  verge 
of  weeping. 

"  Why  don't  you  call  him  back  ? "  said  Miss 
Sally. 

"  I  ?  Not  if  I  die  for  want  of  seeing  him  !  —  I 
know !  I  will  send  the  servants  after  him."  And 
she  started  for  the  door,  but  stopped  at  her  aunt's 
comment : 

"  But  that  will  be  as  bad  as  calling  him  yourself." 

"  Not  at  all,  you  empty  pate  !  "  cried  Elizabeth, 
who  had  become,  in  a  moment,  all  action.  "  While 
he's  going  around  by  the  road,  Williams  and  Sam 
shall  cut  across  the  garden,  lie  in  wait,  and  take  him 
by  surprise.  He  has  no  weapon  but  a  broken  sword, 
and  they  can  make  him  prisoner.  They  shall  bring 
him  back  here  bound,  and  he'll  think  he's  to  be  turned 
over  to  the  British  after  all !  " 

"  But  what  then  ?  " 

"  Why,  he  shall  be  left  alone  here,  well  guarded,  for 


THE    UNEXPECTED.  255 

half  an  hour,  and  then  I'll  happen  in,  give  him  an 
opportunity  to  make  love  again,  and  I  can  yield 
gracefully !  Don't  you  see  ? " 

"Then  you  do  love  him  ?  "  said  the  aunt. 

"  I  don't  know.  However,  I  don't  love  Jack  Col- 
den.  Not  a  word  to  him,  of  this  !  I'm  going  to  give 
orders  to  the  men." 

As  she  entered  the  hall,  she  met  Golden,  who  was 
coming  from  the  dining-room  with  Mr.  Valentine. 
The  major  had  limited  his  refreshments  to  two 
glasses  of  brandy  and  water,  swallowed  in  quick  suc- 
cession. Mr.  Valentine,  who  was  smoking  his  pipe, 
held  Golden  fraternally  by  the  arm. 

"  What,  Elizabeth,  are  you  still  angry  ? "  said  Col- 
den,  stopping  as  she  passed. 

"  Excuse  me,  I  have  something  to  see  to,"  said  the 
girl,  coolly,  hurrying  away  from  him. 

He  made  a  slight  movement  to  follow  her,  but  old 
Valentine  drew  him  into  the  parlor,  saying : 

"Come,  major,  you'll  see  the  lady  enough  after 
she's  married  to  you.  I  was  just  going  to  say,  the 
last  lot  of  tobacco  I  got  — 

"  Oh,  damn  your  tobacco  !  "  said  the  other,  jerking 
his  arm  from  the  old  man's  tremulous  grasp. 

"  Damn  my  tobacco  ? "  echoed  Mr.  Valentine,  quite 
stupefied. 

"  Yes.  I've  matters  more  important  on  my  mind 
just  now." 


256  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

"  The  deuce  !  "  cried  the  old  man.  "  What  could 
be  more  important  than  tobacco  ? " 

And  he  stood  looking  into  the  fire,  muttering  to 
himself  between  furious  puffs. 

Golden  sought  comfort  of  Miss  Sally.  "  Was  ever 
a  woman  as  unreasonable  as  Elizabeth  ? "  he  said  to 
her.  "  She'd  have  had  me  lower  myself  to  meet  that 
rebel  vagabond  as  one  gentleman  meets  another." 

But  Miss  Sally  was  not  going  to  betray  her  own 
disappointment  by  showing  a  change  from  her  oft- 
expressed  opinion  of  the  rebel  captain,  —  particu- 
larly in  the  presence  of  Mr.  Valentine.  So  she 
answered : 

"You  met  him  so  once,  three  years  ago." 

"  I  had  a  less  scrupulous  sense  of  propriety  then," 
replied  Golden,  raging  inwardly. 

"  But,  as  he's  a  rebel  and  deserter,"  pursued  Miss 
Sally,  "  was  it  not  your  duty  as  a  soldier  to  take  him, 
just  now?" 

"I'd  have  done  so,  had  my  men  been  here," 
growled  the  major.  "  Elizabeth  ought  to've  had 
her  servants  hold  him.  I  had  half  a  mind  to  order 
them,  in  the  King's  name,  but  I  never  can  bring  my- 
self to  oppose  her,  she's  so  masterful !  By  George, 
though,  I'll  have  him  yet !  My  two  fellows  will  soon 
come  up.  They  shall  give  chase.  He  will  leave 
tracks  in  the  snow." 

Golden  went  to  the  window,  and  peered  out  as 


THE    UNEXPECTED. 

Peyton   himself   had   done   not   long   before.     The 
flakes  were  coming  down  as  thick  as  ever. 

"  I  don't  see  my  rascals  yet ! "  he  muttered. 
"They've  stopped  at  the  tavern,  I'll  warrant." 

And  he  continued  to  gaze  eagerly  out,  impatient 
that  his  men  should  arrive  before  the  new-fallen  snow 
should  cover  his  enemy's  tracks. 

Old  Mr.  Valentine,  having  exhausted  his  present 
stock  of  mutterings,  now  walked  over  to  Miss  Sally, 
who  had  sat  down  near  the  spinet. 

"  Miss  Williams,"  said  he,  "  this  is  the  first  chance 
I've  had  to  speak  to  you  alone  in  a  week." 

"But  we're  not  alone,"  said  Miss  Sally,  motioning 
her  head  towards  Golden. 

"  He's  nobody,"  contemptuously  replied  the  octo- 
genarian. "A  man  that  damns  tobacco  is  nobody. 
So  you  may  go  ahead  and  speak  out.  What's  your 
answer,  ma'am  ? " 

"Oh,  Mr.  Valentine,  not  now!  You  must  give 
me  time." 

"  That's  what  you  said  before,"  he  complained. 

She  had,  indeed,  said  it  before,  scores  of  times. 

"Well,  give  me  more  time,  then,"  she  replied. 

"  How  much  ? "  asked  the  old  man,  in  a  matter-of- 
fact  way. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know !  Long  enough  for  me  to 
make  up  my  mind." 

Thus  far,  this  conversation  had  followed  in  the 


258  THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

exact  lines  of  many  that  had  preceded  it,  but  now 
Mr.  Valentine  made  a  departure  from  the  customary 
form. 

"I  think,"  said  he,  "if  my  other  two  wives  had 
taken  as  long  as  you  to  make  up  their  minds,  I 
shouldn't  have  been  twice  a  widower  by  now." 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Valentine  !  "  said  Miss  Sally,  in  a  sweetly 
reproachful  way.  "  Now  you  know  —  " 

But  he  cut  her  speech  off  short.  "  Very  likely," 
said  he.  "  I  don't  know.  Well,  take  your  time. 
Only  please  remember  I  haven't  so  very  much  time 
left !  Better  take  me  while  I'm  here  to  be  had ! 
Good  night,  ma'am  !  "  And  he  went  to  the  dining- 
room  to  fortify  himself  for  his  long  homeward  walk 
through  the  snow. 

In  crossing  the  hall,  he  saw  Cuff  on  the  settle  in 
Sam's  place.  In  the  dining-room  he  met  Molly,  who 
was  clearing  the  table  of  the  supper  that  Golden  had 
disdained.  He  asked  her  the  whereabouts  of  Wil- 
liams, and  she  replied  that  the  steward  and  Sam  had 
gone  out  on  some  order  of  Miss  Elizabeth's.  Decid- 
ing to  await  Williams's  return,  the  old  man  sat  down 
before  the  dining-room  fire,  and  was  soon  peacefully 
snoring. 

Elizabeth  had  gone  up-stairs  to  watch  from  her 
darkened  window  the  issue  of  the  expedition  of 
Williams  and  Sam,  who  had  gone  out  by  the  kitchen, 
equipped  respectively  with  rope  and  pistol.  While 


THE   UNEXPECTED.  2 59 

they  were  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  house,  she 
could  not  see  them  from  her  elevation,  but  presently 
she  beheld  them  glide  swiftly  across  a  white  open 
space  in  the  garden,  cross  a  stile,  and  disappear 
among  the  trees  and  bushes  between  the  garden 
and  the  post-road.  Turning  her  eyes  to  the  road 
itself,  that  lonely  highway  now  called  Broadway,9  she 
made  out  a  solitary  figure  toiling  forward  through 
the  whirling  whiteness,  —  and  she  gave  a  sigh,  the 
deepest  and  longest  with  which  her  frame  had  ever 
trembled. 

Meanwhile  Miss  Sally  remained  in  the  parlor, 
thinking  it  best  not  to  go  to  Elizabeth  unless  sent 
for ;  while  Golden  continued  to  stand  at  the  window, 
showing  his  impatience  for  the  arrival  of  his  two 
soldiers  in  a  tense  contracting  of  the  brow,  in  a 
restless  shifting  from  foot  to  foot,  and  in  intermittent 
stifled  curses. 

As  he  kept  his  eyes  on  the  place  where  the  branch 
road  left  the  highway,  he  did  not  see  that  part  of  the 
lawn  walk  which  led  from  the  garden.  But  suddenly 
a  slight  noise  drew  his  look  towards  the  portico 
before  the  east  hall. 

"Who  are  these  coming?"  he  cried,  startling 
Miss  Sally  out  of  her  musings  and  her  chair. 

"  Are  they  your  men  ? "  she  asked,  hastening  to 
join  him  at  the  window. 

"No,   mine   are   mounted,"    said    he. 


260  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

these  are  Williams  and  Sam,  —  and  they  are  bring, 
ing,  —  yes,  it  is  he  !  They're  bringing  him  back 
a  prisoner !  She  has  done  it,  after  all,  without 
consulting  me ! "  And  he  strode  to  the  centre  of 
the  room,  in  the  utmost  elation. 

Miss  Sally  weakened  at  the  imminent  prospect  of 
a  meeting  between  the  two  enemies  in  the  changed 
circumstances,  and  felt  the  need  of  her  niece's  sup- 
port. 

"  I  must  tell  Elizabeth  they  have  him,"  she  said, 
and  ran  out  to  the  east  hall,  and  thence  to  the  dining- 
room,  just  in  time  to  avoid  seeing  Peyton  led  in 
through  the  outer  door,  which  Cuff  had  opened  at 
Williams' s  call. 

The  steward  and  Sam  conducted  their  prisoner 
immediately  into  the  parlor.  There  Golden  stood, 
with  a  rancorously  jubilant  smile,  to  receive  him. 

Peyton's  wrists  were  as  Williams  had  tied  them. 
He  was  without  his  hat,  which  had  been  knocked  off 
in  a  brief  struggle  he  had  essayed  against  his  captors 
in  a  moment  when  Sam  had  lowered  the  pistol. 
There  was  a  little  fresh  snow  on  his  hair,  and  more 
on  his  shoulders.  The  feet  of  his  boots  were  cased 
with  it.  His  left  arm  was  held  by  Williams,  who 
carried  the  broken  sword,  having  taken  it  from  the 
scabbard  at  the  first  opportunity.  Peyton's  other 
arm  was  grasped  by  the  huge,  bony  left  hand  of 
Sam,  who  held  the  cocked  pistol  in  his  right.  The 


THE    UNEXPECTED.  26 1 

two  men  walked  with  him  to  the  centre  of  the  parlor, 
and  stopped. 

"By  George,"  said  he,  turning  his  face  towards 
Sam,  with  fire  in  his  eyes,  "  had  the  snow  not  killed 
the  sound  of  your  sneaking  footsteps  till  you'd  caught 
my  arms  behind,  I'd  have  done  for  the  two  of  you !  " 

"  Good,  Williams  !  "  said  Golden.  "  Place  him  on 
that  chair,  and  leave  him  here  with  me.  But  stay 
in  the  hall  on  guard." 

"So  Miss  Elizabeth  ordered  us,  sir,"  said  Wil- 
liams, dryly,  and,  with  Sam,  conducted  Peyton  to 
the  chair,  on  which  he  sat  willingly. 

"  Of  course  she  did,"  replied  Golden.  "  Was  it 
not  at  my  suggestion  ? " 

Peyton  looked  sharply  up  at  the  major,  who  re- 
garded him  with  the  undisguised  pleasure  of  hate 
about  to  be  satisfied. 

Williams  handed  the  broken  sword  to  Golden, 
saying,  "  This  was  the  only  weapon  he  had,  sir. 
We  grabbed  him  before  he  could  use  it.  We  ran 
out  behind  him  from  the  roadside,  and  he  couldn't 
hear  us  for  the  snow." 

"  Ay,  or  the  pair  of  you  couldn't  have  taken  me !" 
said  Peyton,  with  hot  scorn  and  defiant  gameness. 

Golden,  with  the  piece  of  sword,  motioned  Wil- 
liams to  go  from  the  room. 

"  Leave  the  door  ajar  a  little,"  he  added,  "so  you 
can  hear  if  I  call." 


262  THE    CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

Peyton  uttered  a  short  laugh  of  derision  at  this 
piece  of  prudence.  The  steward  and  Sam  withdrew 
to  the  hall,  where  Sam  remained,  while  Williams 
went  in  search  of  Elizabeth  for  further  orders.  As 
soon  as  she  had  assured  herself,  by  watching  and 
listening,  that  Peyton  was  safe  in  the  parlor,  she 
had  stolen  quietly  down-stairs  to  the  dining-room, 
where  she  had  met  her  aunt,  with  whom  the  steward 
now  found  her  sitting.  She  told  him  to  get  the 
duck-gun,  make  sure  it  was  loaded  and  primed,  and 
to  wait  with  Sam  on  the  settle  in  the  hall.  She 
then  requested  her  aunt  to  remain  in  the  dining- 
room,  silently  returned  to  the  hall,  and  took  station 
by  the  door  leading  from  the  parlor,  —  the  door 
which  Williams,  at  Colden's  command,  had  left 
slightly  ajar.  Her  original  plan,  she  felt,  might 
have  to  be  altered  by  reason  of  Colden's  having 
obtruded  his  hand  into  the  game,  a  possibility  she 
had  not,  in  roughly  sketching  that  plan,  taken  into 
account.  It  was  in  order  to  have  the  guidance  of 
circumstance,  that  she  now  put  herself  in  the  way 
of  hearing,  unseen,  what  might  pass  between  the 
two  men.  Meanwhile,  through  the  snow-storm, 
Colden's  two  soldiers,  who  had  indeed  tarried  at 
the  tavern  for  the  heating  up  of  their  interiors, 
were  blasphemously  urging  their  sleepy  horses 
towards  the  manor-house. 

In  the  parlor,  the  two  enemies  were  facing  each 


THE   UNEXPECTED.  26$ 

other,  Peyton  on  his  chair,  his  tied  wrists  behind 
him,  Golden  standing  at  some  distance  from  him, 
holding  the  broken  sword.  As  soon  as  they  were 
alone,  Peyton  uttered  another  one-syllabled  laugh, 
and  said : 

"  The  hospitality  of  this  house  beats  my  recollec- 
tion. One  is  always  coming  back  to  it." 

"  You'll  not  come  back  the  next  time  you  leave 
it ! "  said  Major  Golden,  his  eyes  glittering  with 
gratified  rancor. 

"  And  when  shall  that  time  be  ? "  asked  Peyton, 
airily. 

"  As  soon  as  two  of  my  men  arrive,  whom  I  out- 
rode on  my  way  hither  to-night.  They  attended  me 
out  of  New  York.  I  shall  be  generous  and  give 
them  over  to  you,  to  attend  you  into  New  York." 

"  Thanks  for  the  escort  !  " 

"  'Tis  the  only  kind  you  rebels  ever  have,  when 
you  enter  New  York,"  sneered  the  major. 

"  We  shall  enter  it  with  an  escort  of  our  own 
choosing  some  day!  And  a  sorry  day  that  for 
you  Tories  and  refugees,  my  dear  gentleman ! " 

"But  if  that  day  ever  comes,  you'll  have  been 
rotting  underground  a  long  time,  —  and  thanks  to 
me,  don't  forget  that ! " 

"  Thanks  to  her,  you  coward ! "  cried  Peyton. 
"  'Twas  she  that  sent  her  servants  after  me  1  You 
didn't  dare  try  taking  me,  alone !  " 


264  THE   CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

"  Bah !  "  said  Golden,  hotly,  "  I  might  have  pis- 
tolled you  here  to-night "  —  and  he  placed  his  hand 
on  the  fire-arm  in  his  belt  —  "  but  for  the  presence 
of  the  ladies  !  " 

"Was  it  the  ladies'  presence,"  retorted  Peyton, 
contemptuously,  "or  the  fact  that  you're  a  devilish 
bad  shot  ? " 

Neither  man  heard  the  door  moved  farther  open, 
or  saw  Elizabeth  step  through  the  aperture  to  the 
inner  side  of  the  threshold,  where  she  stopped  and 
watched.  Peyton's  back  was  towards  her,  and  Col- 
den's  rage  at  the  last  words  was  too  intense  to 
permit  his  eyes  to  rove  from  its  object. 

"  Damn  you  !  "  cried  the  major.  "  I'd  show  you 
how  bad  a  shot  I  am,  but  that  I'd  rather  wait  and 
see  you  on  the  gallows !  " 

"  Will  she  come  to  see  me  there,  I  wonder  ?  "  said 
Peyton,  half  thoughtfully.  "  She  ought  to,  for  it's 
her  work  sends  me  there,  not  yours !  'Twill  not 
be  your  revenge  when  they  string  me  up,  my  jolly 
friend!" 

Taunted  beyond  all  self-control,  the  Tory  yelled  : 

"  Not  mine,  eh  ?  Then  I'll  have  mine  now,  you 
dog!" 

With  that,  he  strode  forward  and  struck  Harry 
a  fierce  blow  across  the  face  with  the  flat  side  of 
Harry's  own  broken  sword. 

Harry  merely  blinked  his  eyes,  and  did  not  flinch. 


THE   UNEXPECTED.  26$ 

He  turned  pale,  then  red,  and  in  a  moment,  first 
clearing  his  voice  of  a  slight  huskiness,  said,  quietly : 

"  That  blow  I  charge  against  you  both,  —  the  lady 
as  well  as  you  ! " 

Golden  had  stepped  back  some  distance  after 
delivering  the  blow.  Something  in  Harry's  answer 
seemed  to  infuriate  still  further  the  devil  awakened 
in  the  Tory's  body,  for  he  cried  out : 

"  The  lady  as  well  as  me,  — yes  !     And  this,  too !  " 

And  he  advanced  on  Peyton,  to  strike  a  second 
time. 

"  Stop  !     How  dare  you  ?  " 

The  cry  was  Elizabeth's.  It  startled  Golden  so 
that  he  loosened  his  hold  of  the  broken  sword  before 
he  could  deliver  the  blow.  At  that  instant,  she 
caught  his  arm  in  her  one  hand,  the  sword-guard  in 
her  other.  She  tore  the  weapon  from  his  grasp,  and 
faced  him  with  a  countenance  as  furious  as  his  own. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ? "  he  cried. 

For  answer  she  struck  him  in  the  face  with  the 
flat  of  the  sword,  as  he  had  struck  Peyton.  "  You 
sneak  !  "  she  said. 

He  recoiled,  and  stood  staring,  a  ghastly  image  of 
bewilderment  and  consternation.  After  a  moment 
he  turned  livid. 

"  Ah  !  I  see  now  !  "  he  gasped.     "  You  love  him  ! " 

"  Yes  !  "  came  the  answer,  prompt  and  decided. 

He  gazed  at  her  with  such  an  expression   as  a 


266  THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

painter  of  hell  might  put  into  the  face  of  a  lost  soul, 
and  he  said,  faintly,  in  a  kind  of  articulate  moan : 

"  I  might  have  known  !  " 

Suddenly  there  came  from  the  outer  night  the 
exclamation,  quick  and  distinct: 

"Whoa!" 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

THE    BROKEN    SWORD. 

THE  sound  wrought  a  transformation  in  Golden. 
His  face  lighted  up  with  malevolent  joy. 

"  You  love  too  late !  "  he  cried,  to  Elizabeth.  "  My 
men  are  there !  They  shall  take  him  to  New  York 
a  prisoner,  at  last !  " 

"But  not  delivered  up  by  me,  thank  God  !  "  replied 
Elizabeth,  while  Peyton  rose  quickly  from  his  chair, 
and  Golden  reeled  like  a  drunken  man  to  the  window. 

She  went  behind  Peyton,  and,  with  the  edge  of 
the  broken  sword,  hacked  rather  than  cut  through 
one  of  the  outer  windings  that  bound  his  wrists 
together,  whereupon  she  speedily  uncoiled  the  rope. 

"  You  were  my  prisoner.  I  set  you  free ! "  she 
said,  dropped  the  rope  to  the  floor,  and  handed  him 
the  broken  sword. 

He  took  the  weapon  in  his  right  hand,  and  im- 
prisoned Elizabeth  with  his  left  arm. 

"  I'm  more  your  prisoner  now  than  ever ! "  he 
said.  "You've  cut  these  bonds.  Will  you  put 
others  on  me?" 


268  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

"Sometime, — if  we  can  save  your  life!"  she 
answered. 

Both  turned  their  eyes  towards  Golden. 

The  Tory  officer  had  drawn  his  sword,  and  was 
motioning,  in  great  excitement,  to  his  soldiers  outside. 

"This  way,  men!"  he  shouted.  "To  the  front 
door !  Damn  the  louts  !  Can't  they  understand  ? " 
He  beat  upon  the  window  with  his  sword,  knocking 
out  panes  of  glass.  "  Come  through  that  door,  I  say  ! 
Quick,  curse  you,  there's  a  prisoner  here,  with  a 
price  for  his  taking !  Ay,  that's  it !  Some  one  in 
the  hall  there,  open  the  front  door  to  my  men  ! " 

The  sound  now  came  of  knocks  bestowed  on  the 
outside  door,  and  of  Sam's  heavy  tread  on  the  hall 
floor. 

"Williams!  Sam!"  shouted  Elizabeth.  "Don't 
let  them  in  !  " 

The  heavy  tread  was  heard  to  stop  short.  The 
knocking  on  the  outer  door  was  resumed. 

"Let  them  in,  I  say,"  roared  Golden,  too  proud 
to  go  himself  to  the  door.  "  I  command  it,  in  the 
name  of  the  King !  " 

"  Obey  your  mistress,"  cried  Peyton,  to  those  in 
the  hall.  "  I  command  it,  in  the  name  of  Congress  !  " 

Golden  was  silent  for  a  moment,  then  suddenly 
threw  open  the  window  and  called  out,  "This  way, 
men  !  Quick  !  " 

And  he  drew  pistol,  and  stood  ready  with  steel 


THE  BROKEN  SWORD.  269 

and  ball  to  guard  the  window  by  which  his  men  were 
to  enter.  A  new,  wild  ferocity  was  on  his  face,  a 
new,  nervous  hardness  in  his  body,  as  if  the  latent 
resolution  and  strength  which  a  prudent  man  keeps 
for  a  great  contest,  on  which  his  all  may  depend, 
were  at  last  aroused.  In  such  a  mood,  the  man 
who,  governed  by  interest,  may  have  seemed  a  cow- 
ard all  his  life  becomes  for  the  once  supremely  for- 
midable. At  last  he  thinks  the  stake  worth  the 
play,  at  last  the  prize  is  worth  the  risk,  and  because 
it  is  so  he  will  play  and  risk  to  the  end,  hazarding 
all,  not  yielding  while  he  breathes.  Having  opened 
the  theme  which  alone,  of  all  themes,  shall  transform 
his  irresolution  into  action,  he  will,  Hamlet  like, 
"  fight  upon  this  theme  until  "  his  "  eyelids  will  no 
longer  wag."  So  was  Golden  aroused,  transfigured, 
as  he  stood  doubly  armed  by  the  window,  waiting 
for  his  men  to  clamber  in. 

"  What  shall  we  do,  dear?  "  said  Elizabeth. 

"  Fight !  "  replied  Peyton,  tightening  at  the  same 
time  his  right  palm  around  his  broken  sword,  and 
his  left  around  the  hand  she  had  let  him  take,  —  for 
she  had  moved  from  the  embrace  of  his  arm. 

"Ay,  there  are  only  two  of  them,"  she  said,  as 
two  burly  forms  appeared  in  the  open  window,  one 
behind  the  other. 

"  There  will  be  three  of  us,  you'll  find  ! "  cried 
Golden.  "This  time  I'll  take  ;i  hand,  if  need  be." 


THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

"  You  must  not  stay  here,"  said  Peyton  to  Eliza- 
beth, quickly.  "Things  will  be  flying  loose  in  a 
moment ! " 

"I  won't  leave  you  !  "  said  she. 

"  Go !  I  beg  you,  go  ! "  he  said,  releasing  her 
hand,  and  stepping  back. 

Meanwhile,  Colden's  men  bounded  in  through  the 
window.  Rough,  sturdy  fellows  were  they,  who 
landed  heavily  on  the  parlor  floor,  and  blinked  at  the 
light,  drawing  the  while  the  breeches  of  their  short 
muskets  from  beneath  their  coats.  Their  hats  and 
shoulders  were  coated  with  snow. 

"  Take  that  rebel  alive,  if  you  can !  "  ordered  Col- 
den.  "  He's  meant  to  hang !  Stun  him  with  your 
musket-butts ! " 

The  men  quickly  reversed  their  weapons,  and 
strode  heavily  towards  Harry.  To  their  surprise, 
before  they  could  bring  down  their  muskets,  which 
required  both  hands  of  each  to  hold,  Harry  dashed 
forward  between  them,  thinking  to  cut  down  Golden 
with  his  broken  sword,  possess  himself  of  the  latter's 
pistol,  shoot  one  of  the  soldiers,  and  meet  the  other 
on  less  unequal  terms.  He  saw  a  possibility  of  his 
leaping  through  the  open  window  and  fleeing  on  one 
of  the  soldiers'  horses,  but  the  idea  was  accompanied 
by  the  thought  that  Elizabeth  might  be  made  to 
suffer  for  his  escape.  Her  safety  now  depended 
on  his  getting  the  mastery  over  his  three  would-be 


THE  BROKEN  SWORD.  2? I 

Captors.  So,  ere  the  two  astonished  fellows  could 
turn,  Harry  had  leaped  within  sword's  reach  of  his 
doubly  armed  enemy. 

But  Golden  was  now  as  alert  as  rigid,  and  he 
opposed  his  officer's  sword  against  Peyton's  broken 
cavalry  blade,  guarding  himself  with  unexpected  swift- 
ness, and  giving  back,  for  Harry's  sweeping  stroke, 
a  thrust  which  only  the  quickest  and  most  dexterous 
movement  turned  aside  from  entering  the  Virginian's 
lungs.  As  Harry  stepped  back  for  an  instant  out  of 
his  adversary's  reach,  the  Tory  raised  his  pistol.  At 
the  same  moment  the  two  soldiers,  having  turned 
about,  rushed  on  Peyton  from  behind.  He  heard 
them  coming,  and  half  turned  to  face  them.  Their 
movement  had  for  him  one  fortunate  circumstance. 
It  kept  Golden  from  shooting,  for  his  bullet  might 
have  struck  one  of  his  own  men. 

Now  Elizabeth  had  not  been  idle.  At  the  mo- 
ment when  Harry  had  stepped  back  from  her  and 
bade  her  go,  she  had  run  to  the  door  of  the  east 
hall,  and  called  Williams  and  Sam.  While  Peyton 
had  been  engaging  Golden  near  the  window,  the 
steward  and  the  negro  had  entered  the  parlor,  and 
she  had  excitedly  ordered  them  to  Peyton's  aid. 
Williams  still  had  the  duck-gun,  Sam  the  pistol. 
Thus  it  occurred  that,  as  Peyton  half  turned  from 
Golden  towards  the  two  soldiers,  these  last-named 
saw  Williams  and  Sam  rush  in  between  them  and 


2/2  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

their  prey.  Before  Williams  could  bring  his  duck- 
gun  to  bear,  he  was  struck  down  senseless  by  one  of 
the  musket  blows  first  intended  for  Peyton.  An- 
other blow,  and  from  another  musket,  had  been 
aimed  at  Sam's  woolly  head,  but  the  negro  had 
put  up  his  left  hand  and  caught  the  descending 
weapon,  and  at  the  same  time  had  discharged  his 
pistol  at  the  weapon's  holder.  But  Williams,  in  fall- 
ing, had  knocked  against  the  darky,  and  so  dis- 
turbed his  aim,  and  the  ball  flew  wide.  The  man 
who  had  brought  down  Williams  now  struck  Sam  a 
terrible  blow  with  the  musket-club,  on  the  temple, 
and  the  negro  dropped  like  a  felled  ox. 

During  this  brief  passage,  Peyton  had  returned  to 
close  quarters  with  Golden.  The  latter,  who  had 
lowered  his  pistol  when  his  men  had  last  approached 
Peyton,  and  who  had  resumed  the  contest  of  swords 
unequal  in  size  and  kind,  now  raised  the  pistol  a 
second  time.  But  it  was  caught  by  the  hands  of 
Elizabeth,  who  had  run  around  to  his  left,  and  who 
now,  suddenly  endowed  with  the  strength  of  a 
tigress,  wrenched  it  from  him  as  she  had  wrenched 
the  broken  sword  earlier  in  the  evening.  She  tried 
to  discharge  the  pistol  at  one  of  the  two  soldiers, 
as  they,  relieved  of  the  brief  interposition  of  Wil- 
liams and  Sam,  were  again  taking  position  to  bring 
down  their  muskets  on  Peyton's  head  while  he  con- 
tinued at  sword-work  with  Golden.  But  the  pistol 


THE  BROKEN  SWORD. 

snapped  without  going  off,  whereupon  Elizabeth 
hurled  it  in  the  face  of  the  man  at  whom  she  had 
aimed.  The  blow  disconcerted  him  so  that  his  musket 
fell  wide  of  Peyton,  who  at  the  same  instant,  having 
seen  from  the  corner  of  his  eye  how  he  was  men- 
aced, leaped  backward  from  under  the  other  descend- 
ing musket.  Then,  taking  advantage  of  the  moment 
when  the  muskets  were  down,  he  ran  to  the  music 
seat  before  the  spinet,  and  mounted  upon  it,  thinking 
rightly  that  the  infuriated  major  would  follow  him, 
and  that  he  might  the  better  execute  a  certain 
manoeuvre  from  the  vantage  of  height.  Golden 
indeed  rushed  after  him,  and  thrust  at  him,  Peyton 
sweeping  the  thrusts  aside  with  pendulum-like  swings 
of  his  own  short  weapon.  His  thought  was  to  send 
the  point  that  menaced  him  so  astray  that  he  might 
leap  forward  and  cleave  his  enemy  with  a  downward 
stroke  before  the  Tory  could  recover  his  guard.  But 
Golden  pressed  him  so  speedily  that  he  was  at  last 
fain  to  step  up  from  the  music  seat  to  the  spinet, 
landing  first  on  the  keyboard,  which  sent  out  a 
frightened  discord  as  he  alighted  on  it.  Finding 
the  keys  an  uncertain  footing,  he  took  another  step, 
and  stood  on  the  body  of  the  instrument,  so  that 
Golden  would  be  at  the  disadvantage  of  thrusting 
upwards.  But  Golden,  seeming  to  tire  a  little  after 
a  few  such  thrusts,  called  to  his  men  : 
"  Shoot  the  dog  in  the  legs  !  " 


2/4  THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON, 

Both  men  aimed  at  once.  Elizabeth  screamed. 
Peyton  leaped  down  from  his  height  to  the  little 
space  behind  the  spinet  projection,  where  he  had 
hidden  a  week  before.  Here  he  found  himself  well 
placed,  for  here  he  could  be  approached  on  one  side 
only,  —  unless  his  adversaries  should  follow  his  exam- 
ple and  come  at  him  from  the  top  of  the  spinet. 

Golden  attacked  him  with  sword,  at  the  open  side, 
and  shouted  to  his  men : 

"  One  of  you  get  on  the  spinet.  The  other  crawl 
under.  We  have  him  now." 

Still  guarding  himself  from  his  enemy's  thrusts, 
Peyton  heard  one  of  the  men  leap  from  the  music 
seat  to  the  spinet,  and  the  other  advance  creeping, 
doubtless  with  gun  before  him,  under  the  instrument. 
Peyton  sank  to  his  knees,  placed  his  shoulder  under 
the  back  edge  of  the  spinet's  projection,  and,  ward- 
ing off  a  downward  movement  of  Golden' s  sword, 
turned  the  instrument  over  on  its  side,  checking  the 
creeping  man  under  it,  and  throwing  the  other  fellow 
to  the  floor  some  feet  away.  As  the  spinet  fell, 
one  of  its  legs,  rising  swiftly  into  the  air,  knocked 
Colden's  blade  upward,  and  the  Tory  leaped  back 
lest  Peyton  might  avail  himself  of  the  opening.  But 
the  spinet-leg  itself  hindered  Peyton  from  doing 
so.  Golden  rushed  forward  again,  thrusting  as  he 
did  so.  Peyton  leaped  aside,  made  a  swift  half-turn, 
and  landed  a  stroke  on  Colden's  sword-hand,  making 


THE  BROKEN  SWORD.  2?$ 

the  Tory  cry  out  and  drop  the  sword.  Harry  put 
his  foot  on  it  and  cried  : 

"  You're  at  my  mercy !     Beg  quarter !  " 

But  the  man  who  had  been  thrown  from  the  top 
of  the  spinet  now  returned  to  the  attack,  coming 
around  that  end  of  the  upset  instrument  which  was 
opposite  the  end  where  Golden  had  menaced  Harry. 
Seeing  this  new  adversary,  Harry  retreated  past 
Golden,  in  order  to  put  himself  in  position.  The 
soldier  hastened  after  him,  with  upraised  musket. 
At  this  moment,  Peyton  saw  himself  confronted  by 
Elizabeth,  who  pulled  open  the  door  of  the  south 
hall.  He  stopped  short  to  avoid  running  against 
her. 

"  Save  yourself ! "  she  cried,  and  pushed  him 
through  the  open  doorway,  flinging  the  door  shut 
upon  him,  a  movement  which  the  pursuing  soldier, 
stayed  for  a  moment  by  collision  with  Golden,  was 
not  in  time  to  prevent.  Harry  heard  the  key  move 
in  the  lock,  and  knew  that  Elizabeth  had  turned  it, 
and  that  he  was  safe  in  the  south  hall,  with  a  minute 
of  vantage  which  he  might  employ  as  he  would. 

Elizabeth  withdrew  the  key  from  the  locked  door, 
just  as  the  pursuing  soldier  arrived  at  that  door. 
The  man,  in  his  excitement,  violently  tried  to  open 
the  door.  Golden,  who  was  wrapping  a  handkerchief 
around  his  wounded  hand,  shouted  to  the  man : 

"  You  fool,  she  has  the  key  !     Take  it  from  her ! " 


2/6  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

"You  shall  kill  me  first !  "  she  cried,  and  ran  from 
the  man  towards  the  open  window,  stepping  over  the 
prostrate  bodies  of  Sam  and  Williams  as  she  went. 

"After  her !  She'll  throw  it  into  the  snow !  "  cried 
Golden. 

This  much  Harry  heard  through  the  door,  and 
heard  also  the  heavy  tread  of  the  soldier's  feet  in 
pursuit  of  the  girl.  His  mind  imaged  forth  a  momen- 
tary picture  of  the  fellow's  rough  hands  laid  on  the 
delicate  arms  of  Elizabeth,  of  her  body  clasped  by 
the  man  in  a  struggle,  her  white  skin  reddened  by 
his  grasp.  The  spectacle,  imaginary  and  lasting  but 
an  instant,  maddened  Peyton  beyond  endurance,  made 
him  a  giant,  a  Hercules.  He  threw  himself  against 
the  door  repeatedly,  plied  foot  and  body  in  heavy 
blows.  Meanwhile  Elizabeth  had  reached  the  win- 
dow, and  thrown  the  key  far  out  on  the  snow-heaped 
lawn.  She  had  no  sooner  done  so  than  the  man  laid 
his  clutch  on  her  arm. 

"  Fly,  Peyton,  for  God's  sake  !  For  my  sake  !  " 
she  shouted. 

"  You  shall  pay  for  aiding  the  enemy,  if  he  does  !  " 
cried  Golden.  "  Don't  let  her  escape,  Thompson  !  " 

At  that  instant  the  locked  door  gave  way,  and  in 
burst  Harry,  having  broken,  to  save  Elizabeth  from 
a  rude  contact,  the  barrier  she  had  closed  to  save  his 
life.  That  life,  which  he  had  once  saved  by  callously 
assailing  her  heart,  he  now  risked,  that  her  body 


THE  BROKEN  SWORD.  2/7 

might  not  suffer  the  touch  of  an  ungentle  hand.  So 
swift  and  sudden  was  his  entrance,  that  he  had 
crossed  the  room,  and  floored  Elizabeth's  captor,  with 
a  deep  gash  down  the  side  of  the  head,  ere  Golden 
made  a  step  towards  him. 

The  man  who  had  been  under  the  fallen  spinet 
had  now  extricated  himself,  and  regained  his  feet, 
and  he  and  Golden  rushed  on  Peyton  at  once. 
Elated  by  having  so  speedily  wrought  Elizabeth's 
release,  and  reduced  the  number  of  his  able  adver- 
saries to  two,  Peyton  bethought  himself  of  a  new 
plan.  He  fled  through  the  deep  doorway  to  the  east 
hall,  and  took  position  on  the  staircase.  He  turned 
just  in  time  to  parry  Colden's  sword,  which  the 
major  had  picked  up  and  made  shift  to  hold  in  his 
wrapped-up,  wounded  hand.  Harry  saw  that  an 
opportune  stroke  might  send  the  sword  from  his 
enemy's  numb  and  weakening  grasp,  and  his  heart 
swelled  with  anticipated  triumph,  until  he  heard 
Colden's  hoarse  cry : 

"  Shoot  him,  James,  while  I  keep  him  occupied !  " 
This  order  was  now  the  more  practicable  from 
Harry's  being  on  the  stairs,  above  Golden,  a  great 
part  of  his  body  exposed  to  an  aim  that  could  not 
endanger  his  antagonist.  Breathing  heavily,  his  eyes 
afire  with  hatred,  Golden  repeated  his  attacks,  while 
Harry  saw  the  other's  musket  raised,  the  barrel  look- 
ing him  in  the  eyes.  He  leaped  a  step  higher,  swung 


278  THE   CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

his  broken  sword  against  the  pendent  chandelier, 
knocked  the  only  burning  candle  from  its  socket, 
and  threw  the  hall  into  darkness.  A  moment  later 
the  gun  went  off,  giving  an  instant's  red  flame,  a 
loud  crack,  and  a  smell  of  gunpowder  smoke. 
Harry  heard  a  swift  singing  near  his  right  ear, 
and  knew  that  he  was  untouched. 

Lest  Colden's  sword,  thrust  at  random,  might  find 
him  in  the  dark,  Harry  instantly  bestrode  the  stair- 
rail,  and  dropped,  outside  the  balustrade,  to  the  floor 
of  the  hall.  He  grasped  his  half-sword  in  both 
hands,  so  as  to  put  his  whole  weight  behind  it,  and 
made  a  lunge  in  the  direction  of  a  muttered  curse. 
The  curse  gave  way  to  a  roar  of  pain  and  rage,  and 
Colden's  second  follower  dropped,  spurting  blood  in 
the  darkness,  his  shoulder  gashed  horribly  by  the 
blunt  end  of  Peyton's  imperfect  weapon.  Harry 
now  ran  back  to  the  parlor,  to  deal  with  Golden  in 
the  light,  the  latter's  greater  length  of  weapon  giving 
a  greater  searching-power  in  the  darkness.  In  the 
parlor  Elizabeth  stood  waiting  in  suspense.  Sam  was 
sitting  on  the  floor  and  staring  stupidly  at  Williams, 
who  was  now  awake  and  rubbing  his  head,  and  the 
Tory  first  fallen  was  still  senseless.  Harry  had  no 
sooner  taken  this  scene  in  at  a  glance,  than  Golden 
was  upon  him. 

The  major's  eyes  seemed  to  stand  out  like  blazing 
carbuncles  from  the  face  of  some  deity  of  rage. 


THE  BROKEN  SWORD.  279 

"  G — d  d — n  your  soul !  "  he  screamed,  and  thrust. 
The  point  went  straight,  and  Elizabeth,  seeing  it 
protrude  through  the  back  of  Harry's  coat,  near  the 
left  side  of  his  body,  uttered  a  low  cry,  and  sank 
half-fainting  to  her  knees.  Golden  shouted  with 
triumphant  laughter.  "  Die,  you  dog !  And  when 
you  burn  in  hell,  remember  I  sent  you  there ! " 

But  the  evil  joy  suddenly  faded  out  of  Colden's 
face,  for  Harry  Peyton,  smiling,  took  a  forward  step, 
grasped  near  the  hilt  the  sword  that  seemed  to  be 
sheathed  in  his  own  body,  forced  it  from  Colden's 
hand,  and  then  drew  it  slowly  from  its  lodgment. 
No  blood  discolored  it,  and  none  oozed  from  Harry's 
body. 

The  Virginian's  quick  movement  to  escape  the 
thrust  had  left  only  a  part  of  his  loose-fitting  coat 
exposed,  and  Colden's  sword  had  passed  through  it, 
leaving  him  unhurt.  Colden's  momentary  appear- 
ance of  victory  had  been  the  means  of  actual 
defeat. 

The  Tory  major  saw  his  cup  of  revenge  dashed 
from  his  lips,  saw  himself  deprived  of  sword  and 
sweetheart,  neither  chance  left  of  living  nor  motive 
left  for  life.  His  rage  collapsed  ;  his  hate  burst  like 
a  bubble. 

"  Kill  me,"  he  said,  quietly,  to  Peyton. 

His  look,  innocent  of  any  thought  to  draw  compas- 
sion, quite  disarmed  Harry,  who  stood  for  a  moment 


28O  THE    CONTINENTAL   DRAGOON. 

with  moistening  eyes  and  a  kind  of  welling-up  at  the 
throat,  then  said,  in  a  rather  unsteady  voice : 

"  No,  sir !  God  knows  I've  taken  enough  from 
you,"  and  he  looked  at  Elizabeth,  who  had  risen  and 
was  standing  near  him.  Softened  by  the  triumphant 
outcome  for  her  love,  she,  too,  was  suddenly  sensible 
of  the  defeated  man's  unhappiness,  and  her  eyes 
applauded  and  thanked  Harry. 

"  You've  taken  what  I  never  had,"  said  Golden, 
with  a  chastened  kind  of  bitterness,  "yet  without 
which  the  life  you  give  me  back  is  worthless." 

"  Make  it  worth  something  with  this,"  and  Peyton 
held  Colden's  sword  out  to  him. 

"  What !  You  will  trust  me  with  it  ? "  said  Col- 
den,  amazed  and  incredulous,  taking  the  sword,  but 
holding  it  limply. 

"  Certainly,  sir !  " 

Golden  was  motionless  a  moment,  then  placed  his 
arm  high  against  the  doorway,  and  buried  his  face 
against  his  arm,  to  hide  the  outlet  of  what  various 
emotions  were  set  loose  by  his  enemy's  display  of 
pity  and  trust. 

Harry  gently  drew  Elizabeth  to  him  and  kissed 
her.  Yielding,  she  placed  her  arms  around  his  neck, 
and  held  him  for  a  moment  in  an  embrace  of  her 
own  offering.  Then  she  withdrew  from  his  clasp, 
and  when  Golden  again  faced  them  she  had  re- 
sumed that  invisible  veil  which  no  man,  not  even 


THE  BROKEN  SWORD.  28 1 

the  beloved,  might  pass  through  till  she  bade 
him. 

"You  will  find  me  worthy  of  your  trust,  sir,"  said 
Golden,  brokenly,  yet  with  a  mixture  of  manly  humil- 
ity and  honorable  pride.10 

"I  am  so  sure  of  that,"  said  Harry,  "that  I  con- 
fide to  your  care  for  a  time  what  is  dearest  to  me  in 
the  world.  I  ask  you  to  accompany  Miss  Philipse  to 
her  home  in  New  York,  when  it  may  suit  her  con- 
venience, and  to  see  that  she  suffer  nothing  for  what 
has  occurred  here  this  night." 

"  You  are  a  generous  enemy,  sir,"  said  Golden,  his 
eyes  moistening  again.  "  One  man  in  ten  thousand 
would  have  done  me  the  honor,  the  kindness,  of  that 
request ! " 

"Why,"  said  Harry,  taking  his  enemy's  hand,  as 
if  in  token  of  farewell,  "  whatever  be  the  ways  of  the 
knaves,  respectable  and  otherwise,  who  are  so  cau- 
tious against  tricks  like  their  own,  thank  God  it's 
not  so  rotten  a  world  that  a  gentleman  may  not 
trust  a  gentleman,  when  he  is  sure  he  has  found 
one ! " 

Turning  to  Elizabeth,  he  said :  "  I  beg  you  will 
leave  this  house  at  dawn,  if  you  can.  Williams  and 
Sam,  there,  will  be  little  the  worse  for  their  knocks, 
and  can  look  after  the  fellows  on  the  floor." 

"  And  you,"  she  replied,  "  must  go  at  once.  You 
must  not  further  risk  your  life  by  a  moment's  wait- 


282  THE  CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON. 

ing.  Cuff  shall  saddle  Cato  for  you.  I  sha'n't  rest 
till  I  feel  that  you  are  far  on  your  way." 

He  approached  as  if  again  to  kiss  her,  but  she 
held  out  her  hand  to  stay  him.  He  took  the  hand, 
bent  over  it,  pressed  it  to  his  lips. 

"  But,  —  "he  said,  in  a  tone  as  low  as  a  whisper, 
"when  —  " 

"When  the  war  is  over,"  she  answered,  softly, 
"let  Cato  bring  you  back." 


NOTES 


NOTES. 


NOTE  i.     (Page  41.) 

"The  old  county  historian."  Rev.  Robert  Bolton, 
born  1814,  died  1877.  His  "History  of  the  County  of 
Westchester,"  especially  the  revised  edition  published 
in  1881,  is  a  rich  mine  of  "material."  Among  other 
works  that  have  served  the  author  of  this  narrative  in 
a  study  of  the  period  and  place  are  Allison's  "  History 
of  Yonkers,"  Cole's  "  History  of  Yonkers,"  Edsall's  "  His- 
tory of  Kingsb ridge,"  Dawson's  "  Westchester  County 
during  the  Revolution,"  Jones's  "  New  York  during  the 
Revolution,"  Watson's  "Annals  of  New  York  in  the 
Olden  Time,"  General  Heath's  "Memoirs,"  Thatcher's 
"  Memoirs,"  Simcoe's  "  Military  Journal,"  Dunlap's  "  His- 
tory of  New  York,"  and  Mrs.  Ellet's  "  Domestic  History 
of  the  Revolution."  For  an  excellent  description  of  the 
border  warfare  on  the  "  neutral  ground,"  the  reader  should 
go  to  Irving's  delightful  "  Chronicle  of  Wolfert's  Roost." 
Cooper's  novel,  "  The  Spy,"  deals  accurately  with  that  sub- 
ject, which  is  touched  upon  also  in  that  good  old  standby, 
Lossing's  "  Pictorial  Field-book  of  the  Revolution."  Phil- 

285 


286  NOTES. 

ipse  Manor-house  has  been  carefully  written  of  by  Judge 
Atkins  in  a  Yonkers  newspaper,  and  less  accurately  by 
Mrs.  Lamb  in  her  "  History  of  New  York  City,"  and 
Marian  Harland  in  "  Some  Colonial  Homesteads  and 
Their  Stories."  Of  general  histories,  Irving's  "  Life  of 
Washington  "  treats  most  fully  of  things  around  New  York 
during  the  British  occupation,  and  these  things  are 
interestingly  dealt  with  in  local  histories,  such  as  the 
"  History  of  Queens  County,"  Stiles's  "  History  of 
Brooklyn,"  Barber  and  Howe's  "  New  Jersey  Historical 
Collections,"  etc.,  as  well  as  in  such  special  works  as 
"  Onderdonk's  "  Revolutionary  Incidents." 


NOTE  2.    (Page  47.) 

Of  Colonel  Gist's  escape,  Bolton  gives  the  following 
account :  "  The  house  was  occupied  by  the  handsome 
and  accomplished  widow  of  the  Rev.  Luke  Babcock,  and 
Miss  Sarah  Williams,  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Frederick  Philipse. 
To  the  former  lady  Colonel  Gist  was  devotedly  attached ; 
consequently,  when  an  opportunity  afforded,  he  gladly 
moved  his  command  into  that  vicinity.  On  the  night 
preceding  the  attack,  he  had  stationed  his  camp  at  the 
foot  of  Boar  Hill,  for  the  better  purpose  of  paying  a  spe- 
cial visit  to  this  lady.  It  is  said  that  whilst  engaged  in 
urging  his  suit  the  enemy  were  quietly  surrounding  his 
quarters ;  he  had  barely  received  his  final  dismissal  from 
Mrs.  Babcock  when  he  was  startled  by  the  firing  of  mus- 
ketry. ...  It  appears  that  all  the  roads  and  bridges  had 
been  well  guarded  by  the  enemy,  except  the  one  now 


NOTES.  287 

called  Warner's  Bridge,  and  that  Captain  John  Odell 
upon  the  first  alarm  led  off  his  troops  through  the  woods 
on  the  west  side  of  the  Saw  Mill  [River].  Here  Colonel 
Gist  joined  them.  In  the  meantime  Mrs.  Babcock,  hav- 
ing stationed  herself  in  one  of  the  dormer  windows  of  the 
parsonage,  aided  their  escape  whenever  they  appeared, 
by  the  waving  of  a  white  handkerchief." 

The  British  attack  was  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Sim- 
coe,  whose  journal  shows  that  his  force  so  far  outnum- 
bered Gist's  that  the  latter's  only  sensible  course  was  in 
flight.  About  the  year  1840,  trees  cut  down  near  the  site 
of  Gist's  camp  were  found  to  contain  balls  buried  six 
inches  in  the  wood. 


NOTE  3.     (Page  76.) 

The  three  generals  arrived  on  the  Cerberus,  May  2  5th. 
All  the  histories  say  that  they  arrived  "  with  reinforce- 
ments." It  is  true,  troops  were  constantly  arriving  at 
Boston  about  that  time,  but  none  came  immediately  with 
the  three  generals.  The  Connecticut  Gazette  (published  in 
New  London)  printed,  early  in  June,  this  piece  of  news, 
brought  by  a  gentleman  who  had  been  in  Boston,  May 
z8th  :  "  Generals  Burgoyne,  Clinton,  and  Howe  arrived  at 
Boston  last  Friday  in  a  man-of-war.  No  troops  came 
with  them.  They  brought  over  25  horses."  It  is  a  won- 
der that  Frothingham,  in  his  admirably  complete  history 
of  the  siege  of  Boston,  missed  even  this  little  circum- 
stance. Probably  everybody  has  read  the  incident  thus 
related  by  Irving :  "  As  the  ships  entered  the  harbor  and 


288  NOTES. 

the  rebel  camp  was  pointed  out,  Burgoyne  could  not  re- 
strain a  burst  of  surprise  and  scorn.  '  What ! '  cried  he ; 
'ten  thousand  peasants  keep  five  thousand  King's  troops 
shut  up !  Well,  let  us  get  in  and  we'll  soon  find  elbow 
room  ! "  I  don't  think  Irving  relates  anywhere  the  se- 
quel, which  is  that  when,  after  his  surrender,  Burgoyne 
marched  with  his  conquered  army  into  Cambridge,  an  old 
woman  shouted  from  a  window  to  the  crowd  of  spectators, 
"  Give  him  elbow  room !  "  This  story  ought  to  be  true,  if 
it  is  not. 

NOTE  4.     (Page  89.) 

It  was  in  a  letter  under  date  of  October  4,  1778,  that 
Washington  wrote :  "  What  officer  can  bear  the  weight  of 
prices  that  every  necessary  article  is  now  got  to  ?  A  rat 
in  the  shape  of  a  horse  is  not  to  be  bought  for  less  than 
£200  -.  a  saddle  under  thirty  or  forty." 

NOTE  5.     (Page  124.) 

Captain  Cunningham  was  the  British  provost  marshal, 
as  everybody  knows,  whose  name  became  a  synonym  for 
wanton  cruelty  in  the  treatment  of  war  prisoners.  He 
had  come  to  New  York  before  the  Revolution,  and  had 
kept  a  riding  school  there.  As  soon  as  the  war  broke  out 
he  took  the  royal  side.  It  was  he  who  had  in  charge  the 
summary  execution  of  Nathan  Hale.  He  would  often 
amuse  himself  by  striking  his  prisoners  with  his  keys  and 
by  kicking  over  the  baskets  of  food  or  vessels  of  soup 
brought  for  them  by  charitable  women,  who,  he  said, 
were  the  worst  rebels  in  New  York.  He  died  miserably 


NOTES.  289 

in  England  after  the  war.  His  career  is  briefly  outlined 
in  Sabine's  "  Loyalists."  As  to  the  manner  in  which 
Peyton,  if  caught,  would  have  died,  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  in  the  American  Revolution  the  rope  served  in 
many  a  case  which,  occurring  in  Europe  or  in  one  of  our 
later  wars,  would  have  been  disposed  of  with  the  bullet. 
Writing  of  General  Charles  Lee,  John  Fiske  says :  "  There 
is  no  doubt  that  Sir  William  Howe  looked  upon  him  as  a 
deserter,  and  was  more  than  half  inclined  to  hang  him 
without  ceremony."  Then,  as  now,  a  deserter  in  time  of 
war  was  liable  to  death  if  caught  at  any  subsequent  time, 
his  case  being  worse  than  that  of  a  spy,  who  was  liable  to 
death  only  if  caught  before  getting  back  to  his  own  lines. 
There  was,  by  the  way,  much  unceremonious  hanging  on 
the  "  neutral  ground."  Not  far  from  the  Van  Cortlandt 
mansion  there  still  stood,  in  Bolton's  time,  "  a  celebrated 
white  oak,  in  the  midst  of  a  pretty  glade,  called  the  Cow- 
boy Oak,"  from  the  fact  that  many  of  the  Tory  raiders 
had  been  suspended  from  its  branches  during  the  war  of 
Revolution. 

NOTE  6.    (Page  127.) 

I  am  not  sure  whether  the  saying,  "  The  corpse  of  an 
enemy  smells  sweet,"  attributed  to  Charles  IX.  of  France, 
in  allusion  to  Coligny,  is  historical  or  was  the  invention 
of  a  romancer.  It  occurs  in  Dumas's  "  La  Reine  Mar- 
got." 

NOTE  7.    (Page  136.) 

Mr.  Valentine's  unwillingness  to  lend  aid  was  doubt- 
less due  to  the  frequency  of  such  incidents  as  one  that 


NOTES. 

had  occurred  to  his  neighbor,  Peter  Post,  in  1776.  Post's 
estate  occupied  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Hastings. 
He  gave  information  to  Colonel  Sheldon  regarding  the 
movements  of  some  Hessians,  and  afterwards  deceived 
the  Hessians  as  to  the  whereabouts  of  Sheldon's  own 
cavalry.  Thereby,  Sheldon's  troop  was  enabled  to  sur- 
prise the  Hessians,  and  defeat  them  in  a  short  and  bloody 
conflict.  The  Hessians'  comrades  later  caught  Post, 
stripped  him,  beat  him  to  insensibility,  and  left  him  for 
dead.  He  recovered  of  his  injuries.  His  house,  a  small 
stone  one,  became  a  tavern  after  the  Revolution,  and  was 
a  celebrated  resort  of  cock-fighters  and  hard-drinkers. 
Not  far  north  of  Hastings  is  Dobbs  Ferry,  which  was 
occupied  by  both  armies  alternately,  during  the  Revolu- 
tion. Further  north  is  Sunnyside,  Irving's  house,  elabo- 
rated from  the  original  Wolfert's  Roost,  and  beyond  that 
are  Tarrytown,  where  Andre*  was  stopped  and  taken  in 
charge,  and  Sleepy  Hollow.  Enchanted  ground,  all  this, 
hallowed  by  history,  legend,  and  romance. 


NOTE  8.    (Page  179.) 

The  secret  passage  or  passages  of  Philipse  Manor- 
house  have  not  been  neglected  by  writers  of  fiction, 
history,  and  magazine  articles.  The  passage  does  not 
now  exist,  but  there  are  numerous  traces  of  it.  The 
different  writers  do  not  agree  in  locating  it.  The  author 
of  an  interesting  story  for  children,  "  A  Loyal  Little 
Maid,"  has  it  that  the  passage  was  reached  through  an 
opening  in  the  panelling  of  the  dining-room,  this  open- 


NOTES.  291 

ing  concealed  by  a  tall  clock.  I  think  Marian  Harland 
says  that  a  closet  in  one  of  the  parlors  or  chambers 
connects  with  the  secret  passage.  Both  these  assump- 
tions are  wrong.  Mr.  R.  P.  Getty  has  pointed  out  in  the 
northwestern  corner  of  the  cellar  what  seems  to  have 
once  been  the  entrance  to  the  passage.  One  authority 
quotes  a  belief  "  that  from  the  cellar  there  was  a  passage 
to  a  well  now  covered  by  Woodworth  Avenue,"  and  that 
this  was  to  afford  access  to  what  may  have  been  a  storage 
vault.  A  man  who  was  born  in  1821  says  that,  when  a 
boy,  he  saw,  near  the  house,  a  dry  cistern,  from  the 
bottom  of  which  was  an  arched  passage  towards  the 
Hudson,  large  enough  for  a  man  six  feet  tall  to  pass 
through.  Judge  Atkins  says  that  the  well  was  opposite 
the  kitchen  door,  and  had,  at  its  western  side,  about  ten 
feet  deep,  a  chamber  in  which  butter  was  kept.  One 
writer  locates  an  ice-house  where  Judge  Atkins  places 
this  well,  and  says  a  subterranean  arched  way  led  north- 
ward as  far  as  the  present  Wells  Avenue.  "The  ice- 
house was  formerly,  it  is  said,  a  powder-magazine." 
Many  years  ago,  the  coachman  of  Judge  Woodworth 
used  to  say  he  had  "  gone  through  an  underground  pas- 
sage all  the  way  from  the  manor-house  to  the  Hudson 
River."  Judge  Atkins  has  written  interesting  legends  of 
the  manor-house,  involving  the  secret  passage  and  other 
features. 

NOTE  9.    (Page  259.) 

"That    lonely   highway   now   called   Broadway."      A 
block  of  houses  and  another  street  now  lie  between  that 


2Q2  NOTES. 

highway  and  the  east  front  of  the  manor-house.  The 
building  is  closely  hemmed  in  by  the  sordid  signs  of 
progress.  Ugly  houses,  in  crowded  blocks,  cover  all  the 
great  surrounding  space  that  once  was  thick  forest,  fair 
orchards,  gardens,  fields,  and  pastoral  rivulet.  The 
Neperan  or  Saw  Mill  River  flows,  sluggish  and  scummy, 
under  streets  and  houses.  A  visit  to  the  manor-house, 
now,  would  spoil  rather  than  improve  one's  impression 
of  what  the  place  looked  like  in  the  old  days.  Yet  the 
house  itself  remains  well  preserved,  for  which  all  honor 
to  the  town  of  Yonkers.  There  is  in  our  spacious 
America  so  much  room  for  the  present  and  the  future, 
that  a  little  ought  to  be  kept  for  the  past.  It  is  well  to 
be  reminded,  by  a  landmark  here  and  there,  of  our  brave 
youth  as  a  people.  A  posterity,  sure  to  value  these 
landmarks  more  than  this  money-grabbing  age  does, 
will  reproach  us  with  the  destruction  we  have  already 
wrought.  Worse  still  than  the  crime  of  obliterating  all 
human-made  relics  of  the  past,  is  the  vandalism  of  nature 
herself  where  nature  is  exceptionally  beautiful.  To  rob 
millions  of  beauty-lovers,  yet  to  live,  of  the  Palisades  of  the 
Hudson,  would  bring  upon  us  the  amazement  and  execra- 
tion of  future  centuries.  This  earth  is  an  entailed  estate, 
that  each  generation  is  in  honor  bound  to  hand  down, 
undefaced,  undiminished,  to  its  successor.  In  order  that 
a  close-clutched  wallet  or  two  may  wax  a  little  fatter, 
shall  we  bring  upon  ourselves  a  cry  of  shame  that  would 
ring  with  increasing  bitterness  through  the  ages,  —  shall 
we  invite  the  execration  merited  by  such  greed  as  could 
so  outrage  our  fair  earth,  such  stolid  apathy  as  could 


NOTES.  293 

stand  by  and  see  it  done?  Shall  an  alien  or  two,  as 
hard  of  soul  as  the  stone  in  which  he  traffics,  mar  the 
Hudson  that  Washington  patrolled,  rob  countless  eyes, 
yet  unopened,  of  a  joy  ;  countless  minds,  yet  to  waken,  of 
an  inspiration ;  countless  hearts,  yet  to  beat,  of  a  thrill 
of  pride  in  the  soil  of  their  inheriting  ?  Shall  some  future 
reader  wonder  why  Irving,  deeming  it  "  an  invaluable 
advantage  to  be  born  and  brought  up  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  some  grand  and  noble  object  in  nature,"  should 
have  thanked  God  he  was  born  on  the  banks  of  the 
Hudson  ?  I  write  this  with  the  sound  of  the  blowing  up 
of  Indian  Head  still  echoing  in  my  ears,  and  knowing 
nothing  done  by  Government  to  protect  the  next  fair 
Hudson  headland  from  similar  destruction. 


NOTE  10.    (Page  281.) 

It  is  probable  that  Golden  served  with  his  brigade 
when  it  fought  in  the  South  in  the  last  part  of  the  war. 
He  was  afterwards  lost  at  sea,  leaving  no  heir.  He  was 
of  a  family  prominent  in  New  York  affairs,  both  before 
the  Revolution  and  afterwards,  and  which  was  intermar- 
ried with  other  New  York  families  of  equal  prominence, 
as  may  be  seen  in  the  "  New  York  Genealogical  and  Bio- 
graphical Record,"  the  "  New  England  Genealogical  and 
Historical  Register,"  and  similar  publications.  It  is  prob- 
able that  Sabine  means  this  Golden  when  he  mentions  a 
Captain  Golden,  of  the  First  Battalion  of  New  Jersey 
Volunteers.  That  he  was  a  major,  however,  is  o 
from  the  official  British  Army  lists  published  in  Hugh 


294  NOTES. 

Gaines's  "  Universal  Register  "  for  the  years  of  the  Revo- 
lution. 

People  curious  about  Harry  Peyton's  military  record 
may  consult  Saffel's  "  Lists  of  American  Officers," 
Heitman's  "Manual,"  and  a  large  work  on  "Virginia 
Genealogies,"  by  H.  E.  Hayden,  published  at  Wilkes- 
barre.  To  the  reader  who  demands  a  happy  ending,  it 
need  be  no  shock  to  learn  that  Peyton,  having  risen  to 
the  rank  of  major,  was  killed  at  Charleston,  S.  C.,  May 
12,  1780.  For  a  love  story,  it  is  a  happy  ending  that 
occurs  at  the  moment  when  the  conquest  and  the  sub- 
mission are  mutual,  complete,  and  demonstrated.  A 
love  to  be  perfect,  to  have  its  sweetness  unembittered, 
ought  not  to  be  subjected  to  the  wear  and  tear  of  pro- 
longed fellowship.  So  subjected,  it  may  deepen  and  gain 
ultimate  strength,  but  it  will  lose  its  intoxicating  novelty, 
and  become  associated  with  pain  as  well  as  with  pleasure. 
We  may  be  sure  that  the  love  of  Peyton  and  Elizabeth 
was  to  Harry  a  sweetener  of  life  on  many  a  night  encamp- 
ment, many  a  hard  ride,  in  the  campaign  of  1779,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1780,  and  exalted  him  the  better  to  meet 
his  death  on  that  day  when  Charleston  fell  to  the  British ; 
and  that  to  Elizabeth,  while  it  receded  into  further  mem- 
ory, it  kept  its  full  beauty  during  the  half  century  she 
lived  faithful  to  it.  Her  sisters  were  married  into  the 
English  nobility,  gentry,  and  military,  but  Elizabeth  died 
in  Bath,  England,  in  March,  1828,  unmarried.  Colonel 
Philipse  had  moved  with  his  family  to  England  when  the 
British  quitted  New  York  in  1783.  Many  other  Tories 
did  likewise.  Some  went  to  England,  but  more  to  Canada, 


NOTES.  295 

the  greater  part  of  which  was  then  a  wilderness.  Many 
of  the  Tory  officers  got  commissions  in  the  English 
army. 

No  Tory  family    did   more  for   the  King's  cause  in 
America,  lost  more,  or  got  more  in  redress,  than  the  De 
Lancey  family,  which  had  been  foremost  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  royal  government  in  the  province  of  New  York. 
It  had  great  holdings  of  property  in  New  York  City,  else- 
where on  the  island  of  Manhattan,  and  in  various  parts 
of  Westchester  County,  notably  in  Westchester  Township, 
where  De  Lancey's  mills  and  a  fine  country  mansion  were 
a  famous  landmark  "  where  gentle  Bronx  clear  winding 
flows."      The  founder  of   the   American   family   was   a 
French   Huguenot  of  noble    descent.      The  family  was 
represented  in  the  British  army  and  navy  before  the  Rev- 
olution.    One  member  of  it,  a  young  officer  in  the  navy, 
at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  resigned  his  commission 
rather  than  serve  against  the  Colonies,  but  most  of  the 
other  De  Lancey  men  were  differently  minded.     Oliver 
De  Lancey,  a  member  of  the  provincial  council,  was  made 
a  brigadier-general  in  the  royal  service,  and  raised  three 
battalions   of   loyalists,    known   as    "De    Lancey's   Bat- 
talions."    Of  these  battalions,  the  Tory  historian,  Judge 
Jones,  says :  "  Two  served  in  Georgia  and  the  Carolinas 
from  the  time  the  British  army  landed  in  Georgia  until  the 
final  evacuation  of  Charleston.     One  of  these,  during  this 
period,  was  commanded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Stephen 
De  Lancey,  the  other  by  Colonel  John  Harris  Cruger. 
The  third  battalion,  during  the  whole  war,  was  employed 
solely  in  protecting  the  wood-cutters  upon  Lloyd's  Neck, 


296  NOTES. 

Queens  County,  L.  I.  This  General  De  Lancey's  son, 
Oliver  De  Lancey,  Junior,  was  educated  in  Europe,  took 
service  with  the  i;th  Light  Dragoons,  was  a  captain  when 
the  Revolution  began,  a  major  in  1778,  a  lieutenant- 
colonel  in  1781,  and,  on  the  death  of  Major  Andrd, 
adjutant-general  of  the  British  army  in  America.  Return- 
ing to  England,  he  became  deputy  adjutant-general  of 
England ;  as  a  major-general,  he  was  also  colonel  of  the 
1 7th  Light  Dragoons;  was  subsequently  barrack-master 
general  of  the  British  Empire,  lieutenant-general,  and 
finally  general.  When  he  died  he  was  nearly  at  the  head 
of  the  English  army  list.  This  branch  of  the  family 
became  extinct  when  Sir  William  Heathcoate  De  Lan- 
cey, the  quartermaster-general  of  Wellington's  army,  was 
killed  at  Waterloo. 

The  James  De  Lancey  who  commanded  the  Westchester 
Light  Horse  was  a  nephew  of  the  senior  General  Oliver 
De  Lancey,  and  a  cousin  of  the  Major  Golden  of  this  nar- 
rative. His  troop  was  not  "  a  battalion  in  the  brigade  of 
his  uncle,"  Bolton's  statement  that  it  was  so  being  incor- 
rect ;  its  operations  were  limited  to  Westchester  County. 
It  raided  and  fought  for  the  King  untiringly,  until  it  was 
almost  entirely  killed  off,  at  the  end  of  the  war,  by  the 
persistent  efforts  of  our  troops  to  extirpate  it. 

The  members  of  this  corps  were  called  "  Cowboys " 
because,  in  their  duty  of  procuring  supplies  for  the 
British  army,  they  made  free  with  the  farmers'  cattle. 
Like  the  other  conspicuous  Tories,  this  James  De  Lancey 
was  attainted  by  the  new  State  Government,  and  his  prop- 
erty was  confiscated.  Local  historians  draw  an  effective 


NOTES.  297 

picture  of  him  departing  alone  from  his  estate  by  the 
Bronx,  turning  for  a  last  look,  from  the  back  of  his  horse, 
at  the  fair  mansion  and  broad  lands  that  were  to  be  his 
no  more,  and  riding  away  with  a  heavy  heart  He  went, 
with  many  shipfuls  of  Tory  emigrants,  to  Nova  Scotia, 
and  became  a  member  of  the  council  of  that  colony. 
His  uncle  went  to  England  and  died  at  his  country  house, 
Beverly,  Yorkshire,  in  1785.  I  allude  to  the  case  of  this 
family,  because  it  was  typical  of  that  of  a  great  many 
families.  The  Tories  of  the  American  Revolution  con- 
stitute a  subject  that  has  yet  to  be  made  much  of.  They 
were  the  progenitors  of  English-speaking  Canada. 

The  act  of  attainder  that  deprived  the  De  Lanceys  of 
their  estates,  deprived  Colonel  Philipse  of  his.  It  was 
passed  by  the  New  York  legislature,  October  22, 1779.  The 
persons  declared  guilty  of  "  adherence  to  the  enemies  of 
the  State  "  were  attainted,  their  estates  real  and  personal 
confiscated,  and  themselves  proscribed,  the  second  sec- 
tion of  the  act  declaring  that  "each  and  every  one  of 
them  who  shall  at  any  time  hereafter  be  found  in  any 
part  of  this  State,  shall  be,  and  are  hereby,  adjudged  and 
declared  guilty  of  felony,  and  shall  suffer  death  as  in 
cases  of  felony,  without  benefit  of  clergy."  Acts  of  simi- 
lar import  were  passed  in  other  States.  Under  this  act, 
Philipse  Manor-house  was  forfeited  to  the  State  about 
a  year  after  the  time  of  our  narrative.  The  commis- 
sioners whose  duty  it  was  to  dispose  of  confiscated  prop- 
erty sold  the  house  and  mills,  in  1785,  to  Cornelius  P. 
Lowe.  It  underwent  several  transfers,  but  little  change, 
becoming  at  length  the  property  of  Lemuel  Wells,  who 


298  NOTES. 

held  it  a  long  time  and,  dying  in  1842,  left  it  to  his 
nephew.  The  town  of  Yonkers  grew  up  around  it,  and 
on  May  i,  1868,  purchased  it  for  municipal  use.  The 
fewest  possible  alterations  were  made  in  it.  These  are 
mainly  in  the  north  wing,  the  part  added  by  the  second 
lord  of  the  manor  in  1745.  On  the  first  floor,  the  par- 
tition between  dining-room  and  kitchen  was  removed, 
and  the  whole  space  made  into  a  court-room.  On  the 
second  floor,  the  space  formerly  divided  into  five  bed- 
rooms was  transformed  into  a  council-chamber,  the  garret 
floor  overhead  being  removed.  The  new  city  hall  of 
Yonkers  leaves  the  old  manor-house  less  necessary  for 
public  purposes.  May  the  old  parlors,  where  the  besilked 
and  bepowdered  gentry  of  the  province  used  to  dance  the 
minuet  before  the  change  of  things,  not  be  given  over  to 
baser  uses  than  they  have  already  served. 

Allusion  has  been  made,  in  different  chapters  of  this 
narrative,  to  the  Hessians  who  daily  patrolled  the  roads 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  manor-house.  This  duty  often  fell 
to  Pruschank's  yagers,  the  troop  to  which  belonged  Cap- 
tain Rowe,  whose  love  story  is  thus  told  by  Bolton  : 
"Captain  Rowe  appears  to  have  been  in  the  habit  of 
making  a  daily  tour  from  Kingsbridge,  round  by  Miles 
Square.  He  was  on  his  last  tour  of  military  duty,  having 
already  resigned  his  commission  for  the  purpose  of 
marrying  the  accomplished  Elizabeth  Fowler,  of  Harlem, 
when,  passing  with  a  company  of  light  dragoons,  he  was 
suddenly  fired  upon  by  three  Americans  of  the  water 
guard  of  Captain  Fray's  company,  who  had  ambuscaded 
themselves  in  the  cedars.  The  captain  fell  from  his 


NOTES.  299 

horse,  mortally  wounded.  The  yagers  instantly  made 
prisoners  of  the  undisciplined  water  guards,  and  a  mes- 
senger was  immediately  despatched  to  Mrs.  Babcock, 
then  living  below,  in  the  parsonage,  for  a  vehicle  to  re- 
move the  wounded  officer.  The  use  of  her  gig  and  horse 
was  soon  obtained,  and  a  neighbor,  Anthony  Archer, 
pressed  to  drive.  In  this  they  conveyed  the  dying  man 
to  Colonel  Van  Cortlandt's.  They  appear  to  have  taken 
the  route  of  Tippett's  Valley,  as  the  party  stopped  at 
Frederick  Post's  to  obtain  a  drink  of  water.  In  the 
meantime  an  express  had  been  forwarded  to  Miss  Fowler, 
his  affianced  bride,  to  hasten  without  delay  to  the  side  of 
her  dying  lover.  On  her  arrival,  accompanied  by  her 
mother,  the  expiring  soldier  had  just  strength  enough 
left  to  articulate  a  few  words,  when  he  sank  exhausted 
with  the  effort."  The  room  in  which  he  died  is  in  the 
well-known  mansion  in  Van  Cortlandt  Park. 

The  incident  of  the  horse,  related  in  an  early  chapter, 
has  a  likeness  to  an  adventure  that  befell  one  Thomas 
Leggett  early  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  He  lived  with 
his  father  on  a  farm  near  Morrisania,  then  in  Westchester 
County,  and  was  proud  in  the  possession  of  a  fine  young 
mare.  A  party  of  British  refugees  took  this  animal,  with 
other  property.  They  had  gone  two  miles  with  it,  when, 
from  behind  a  stone  wall  which  they  were  passing,  two 
Continental  soldiers  rose  and  fired  at  them.  The  man 
with  the  mare  was  shot  dead.  The  animal  immediately 
turned  round  and  ran  home,  followed  by  the  owner,  who 
had  dogged  her  captors  at  a  distance  in  the  hope  of 
recovering  her. 


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pen  name,  Margaret  Allston,  but  she  is  well  known  in  literature. 

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wretched  condition  of  workmen  gains  for  him  the  enmity  of  the 
"  Savior  Oil  Company,"  through  whose  influence  he  loses  his  posi- 
tion. His  after  career  as  a  leader  of  laborers  who  are  fighting 
to  obtain  their  rights  is  described  with  great  earnestness.  The 
character  drawing  is  vigorous  and  varied,  and  the  romantic  plot 
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fail  to  command  an  immense  reading  public. 

A  Georgian  ActreSS.  By  PAULINE  BRADFORD  MACKIE. 
Author  of  "  Mademoiselle    de    Berny,"   "  Ye    Lyttle    Salem 

Maide,"  etc. 
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God  —The  King— fly  Brother.    A  ROMANCE. 

By  MARY  F.  NIXON. 
Author  of  "  With  a  Pessimist  in  Spain,"  "  A  Harp  of  Many 

Chords,"  etc. 

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sunny  land  of  Spain,  during  the  reign  of  Pedro  the  Cruel  — 
the  ally  in  war  of  the  Black  Prince.  The  well-told  story  records 
the  adventures  of  two  young  English  knight-errants,  twin  brother*, 
whose  family  motto  gives  the  title  to  the  book.  The  Spanish  maid, 
the  heroine  of  the  romance,  is  a  delightful  characterization,  and  the 
love  story,  with  its  surprising  yet  logical  denouement,  is  enthralling. 


L.   C.    PAGE    AND   COMPANY'S 


Punchinello.       By  FLORENCE  STUART. 

Library  I2mo,  cloth  decorative,  gilt  top,  325  pages      .        $1.50 

A  love  story  of  intense  power  and  pathos.  The  hero  is  a  hunch- 
back (Punchinello),  who  wins  the  love  of  a  beautiful  young  girl. 
Her  sudden  death,  due  indirectly  to  his  jealousy,  and  the  discovery 
that  she  had  never  faltered  in  her  love  for  him,  combine  to  unbalance 
his  mind.  The  poetic  style  relieves  the  sadness  of  the  story,  and 
the  reader  is  impressed  with  the  power  and  brilliancy  of  its  concep- 
tion, as  well  as  with  the  beauty  and  grace  of  the  execution. 

The    Golden    Fleece.     Translated  from  the  French  of 
Amedee  Achard,  author   of   "The  Huguenot's  Love,"  etc. 
Illustrated  by  Victor  A.  Searles. 
Library  1 2mo,  cloth  decorative,  illustrated,  450  pages  .        $1.50 

Amedee  Achard  was  a  contemporary  writer  of  Dumas,  and  his 
romances  are  very  similar  to  those  of  that  great  writer.  "The 
Golden  Fleece  "  compares  favorably  with  "  The  Three  Musketeers  " 
and  the  other  D'Artagnan  romances.  The  story  relates  the  adven- 
tures of  a  young  Gascon  gentleman,  an  officer  in  the  army  sent  by 
Louis  XIV.  to  assist  the  Austrians  in  repelling  the  Turkish  Invasion 
under  the  celebrated  Achmet  Kiuperli. 

The    Good    Ship    York.      By  W.  CLARK  RUSSELL. 
Author  of  "  The  Wreck  of  the  Grosvenor"  "  A  Sailor's  Sweet- 
heart," etc. 
Library  I2mo,  cloth  decorative,  illustrated,  350  pages          $1.50 

A  romantic  and  exciting  sea  tale,  equal  to  the  best  work  of  this 
famous  writer,  relating  the  momentous  voyage  of  the  clipper  ship 
York,  and  the  adventures  that  befell  Julia  Armstrong,  a  passenger, 
and  George  Hardy,  the  chief  mate. 

"  Mr.  Russell  has  no  rival  in  the  line  of  marine  fiction."  —  Mail  and  Express. 

Tottl    OssingtOn's    GhOSt.      By  RICHARD  MARSH. 
Author  of  "  Frivolities,"  "  Ada  Vernham,  Actress,"  etc.     Illus- 
trated by  Harold  Pifford. 
Library  I2mo,  cloth  decorative,  gilt  top,  325  pages      .         $1-50 

"  I  read  '  Tom  Ossington's  Ghost '  the  other  night,  and  was  afraid  to  go  up-stairs 
in  the  dark  after  it."  —  Truth. 

"An  entrancing  book,  but  people  with  weak  nerves  had  better  not  read  it  at 
night." —  To-day. 

"  Mr.  Marsh  has  been  inspired  by  an  entirely  original  idea,  and  has  worked  it  out 
with  great  ingenuity.  We  like  the  weird  but  not  repulsive  story  better  than  anything 
he  lias  ever  done."  —  World. 


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